Witch Grass is a member of a small group of Panicum spp. (Panic Grasses) that are summer annuals with widely spreading panicles of small spikelets. They are similar in appearance to each other and can be difficult to distinguish. Witch Grass differs from another common species, Panicum dichotomiflorum (Fall Panicum) by its hairy sheaths; the latter has hairless sheaths. Another species, Panicum milaceum (Broomcorn Millet), has been introduced from Eurasia. It has longer spikelets (about 5.0 mm. in length) and the branchlets of its inflorescence have a tendency to droop. In contrast, the branchlets of Witch Grass are rather stiff and straight. A less common variety of Witch Grass, Panicum capillare occidentale, has longer spikelets (about 2.5–3.5 mm. in length) and a panicle that is more exerted from the uppermost leaf. Two other species, Panicum philadelphicum and Panicum gattingeri, are sometimes considered varieties of Witch Grass as well. They have more narrow leaf blades (1/3" or less) and differ in other minor characteristics. See Mohlenbrock (1973/2001) for a discussion of these differences.

This native grass is a summer annual about 1-3' tall that is usually tufted at the base, sending up multiple culms, otherwise it is little-branched. The culms are green, terete, and nearly hairless to hairy. The alternate leaves are more common toward the base of the culms. Their blades are up to 10" long, 2/3" across, and rather floppy; they are green and variably hairy, often becoming rather ragged in appearance with age. The upper surface of each blade can be hairless to densely covered with appressed hairs, while the lower surface can have a few scattered hairs along the central vein to densely covered with with long spreading hairs. The leaf sheaths are light green to pale reddish green, finely ribbed, and densely covered with long spreading hairs. Each culm terminates in a strongly branched panicle of spikelets that is little-exerted from the uppermost leaf. Immature panicles are funnel-shaped with a dense concentration of branchlets and spikelets. Mature panicles are ovoid-globular and airy in appearance from the widely spreading branchlets; they are up to 1½' long and 1' across. Mature panicles often comprise one-half the length of the entire plant. The central axis of the panicle is hairy, particularly at the swollen nodes where the primary branchlets occur. The slender branchlets are rather wiry, stiff, and mostly hairless. Each branchlet terminates in a single spikelet. Each spikelet is about 2.0–2.5 mm. long, narrowly ovoid, and hairless; it has a short beak at its apex. The scales of the spikelet consist of a short glume, a long glume (that looks like a lemma), and a single lemma. The short glume is about 1/3 the length of the spikelet, while the long glume and lemma are the same length as the spikelet. The short glume is broadly lanceolate; it often becomes pale purple, otherwise the scales of the spikelet are light green. The blooming period occurs during late summer and early fall. Shortly afterwards, the panicles and their spikelets become light tan. The entire panicle can detach from the plant and roll across the ground, like a tumbleweed, distributing the grains. Each spikelet produces a single grain about 1.5 mm. long. The grains are ovoid and rather flattened, each one tapering to a point at both ends. The root system is fibrous. This grass spreads by reseeding itself. It often occurs as widely scattered plants in a given habitat, or it may form dense colonies that are dominated by the airy panicles.

Panicum capillare var. agreste Gatt.:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Panicum capillare var. capillare :
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Panicum capillare var. occidentale Rydb.:
Canada (North America)
Pakistan (Asia)
United States (North America)

Panicum capillare L.:
Argentina (South America)
Brazil (South America)
Canada (North America)
Chile (South America)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
Uruguay (South America)
United States (North America)
Caribbean (Caribbean)

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Distribution: Pakistan (Baluchistan; naturalised); North America.

Witch Grass is common throughout Illinois; it has been observed in most counties (see Distribution Map). Habitats include disturbed areas of prairies (including sand and gravel prairies), limestone and sandstone glades, chert and granite glades, gravelly bars near rivers, gravelly areas along railroads (including the limestone ballast), fields, and barren waste areas. In Illinois, this grass is a railroad weed primarily. It prefers disturbed areas.

Witch grass is a North American species that was apparently accidentally introduced to Pakistan and is now fully established as a weed of cultivated ground ground Ziarat. It belongs to that group of plants, along with Panicum turgidum, known as tumble-weeds. The whole inflorescence breaks off at maturity and is blown about by the wind, scattering its seeds as it goes. The plants in Pakistan belong to var. occidentale Rydb. in Contr. U.S. natn. Herb. 3:186. 1895 (Bor, Grasses Burma Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 332. 1960) differing from the type by their larger spikelets.

Annuals, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems geniculate, decumbent, or lax, sometimes rooting at nodes, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stems branching above base or distally at nodes, Stem nodes bearded or hairy, Plants conspicuously hairy, grayish, or wooly, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath hairy, hispid or prickly, Leaf sheath hairy at summit, throat, or collar, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades lanceolate, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades 1-2 cm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blades more or less hairy, Leaf blades scabrous, roughened, or wrinkled, Ligule present, Ligule a fringed, ciliate, or lobed membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branches spreading, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets dorsally compressed or terete, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelet s with 2 florets, Spikelet with 1 fertile floret and 1-2 sterile florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating below the glumes, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glume equal to or longer than spikelet, Glumes 3 nerved, Glumes 4-7 nerved, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma awnless, Lemma margins inrolled, tightly covering palea and caryopsis, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea about equal to lemma, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear.

Tufted, densely hispid annual (rarely almost glabrous); culms 20-80 cm high, erect or ascending. Leaf-blades linear to narrowly lanceolate, 7-30 cm long, 5-14 mm wide, flat, sharply pointed. Panicle broadly ovate or broadly oblong, 15-50 cm long, the branches filiform, bearing spikelets on long capillary pedicels, the whole inflorescence eventually disarticulating. Spikelets elliptic or oblong, 1.8-2.5(3.3) mm long, glabrous, acute or acuminate; lower glume broadly ovate, membranous, a third to half the length of the spikelet, 3-nerved, obtuse, acute or slightly acuminate; upper glume 5-7-nerved; lower lemma 5-7-nerved, its palea about half as long; upper lemma pallid or yellowish to olive-brown, smooth and shining.

Type fragment for Panicum capillare L.
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
Verification Degree: Card file verified by examination of alleged type specimen
Preparation: Pressed specimen
Collector(s): J. Clayton
Locality: West Falls Church, Fairfax, Virginia, United States, North America

Witch Grass is common throughout Illinois; it has been observed in most counties (see Distribution Map). Habitats include disturbed areas of prairies (including sand and gravel prairies), limestone and sandstone glades, chert and granite glades, gravelly bars near rivers, gravelly areas along railroads (including the limestone ballast), fields, and barren waste areas. In Illinois, this grass is a railroad weed primarily. It prefers disturbed areas.

The caterpillars of several skippers feed on the foliage of Panicum spp. (Panic Grasses), including Hesperia sassacus (Indian Skipper), Poanes hobomok (Hobomok Skipper), Polites themistocles (Tawny-Edged Skipper), and Wallengrenia egremet (Northern Broken-Dash). The seeds of Panic Grasses are an important source of food to upland gamebirds and granivorous songbirds (see Bird Table). The foliage is occasionally eaten by rabbits and hoofed mammalian herbivores while it is young and tender.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: July-August.

Collection Sites: world map showing specimen collection locations for Panicum capillare var. capillare

Collection Sites: world map showing specimen collection locations for Panicum capillare capillare

Collection Sites: world map showing specimen collection locations for Panicum capillare

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
                                                             

Specimen Records:	1
Specimens with Sequences:	0
Specimens with Barcodes:	0
Public Records:	0
Species:	1
Species With Barcodes:	0

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
                                                             

Specimen Records:	5
Specimens with Sequences:	23
Specimens with Barcodes:	9
Public Records:	15
Species:	1
Species With Barcodes:	1

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
                                                             

Specimen Records:	7
Specimens with Sequences:	10
Specimens with Barcodes:	8
Public Records:	2
Species:	1
Species With Barcodes:	1

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 9
Species: 9
Species With Barcodes: 1

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 6
Species: 12
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and a barren soil that is sandy or gravelly. The fertility of the soil and moisture levels influence the size of individual plants. Alkaline soil is tolerated quite well.