Grass Description
Sandy or rocky soil, mostly along water courses or in moist canyons.
General Description
Erect clumping grass from hard, scaly rhizomes, to over 6 feet tall. Seedhead is an open, branched arrangement of spikelets.
Rhizomatous perennial. Seedhead stems rarely branching above the base; spikelets more than 1/8 inch long and rounded; first glume more than half as long as the spikelet.
Flower Characteristics
The seedhead is open, freely branched, pyramidal, 8 to 16 inches long. Spikelet is slightly laterally compressed, lower floret sterile, upper fertile.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blades firm, upright, spreading or ascending, to about 1-1/2 feet long, to 3/4 inch wide, linear with a rounded to slightly tapering base, flat, parallel-veined, sometimes hairy, marginally rough.
Switchgrass is noted for its heavy growth during late spring and early summer. It provides good warm-season pasture and high quality hay for livestock.