Panicum hemitomon

maidencane

Poaceae (Gramineae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

grass

Size:

3-4ft, spreads broadly by rhisomes.

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

green

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shoreline stabilizer or plant as cover in a pond. Can tolerate wide water level fluctuations. Frequently used in marsh restoration and wetland creation projects.

Considerations:

Has deep, aggressive rhizomes and is difficult to control in a garden setting once established but highly valuable if used for stabilization or marsh restoration.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Stays wet ---- to ---- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Organic

Suitable to Grow In:

Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Mammals

Larval host for clouded skipper ( Lerema accius ) and Delaware skipper ( Anatrytone logan ) butterflies.

Provides cover for small fish and aquatic invertebrates.





Seeds eaten by some birds and small animals.

Native Habitats:

Basin marsh (maidencane marsh), ponds, streams, sloughs, swamps, wet disturbed sites, sandhill. This species may become domininant in wetlands with reduced hydroperiods relative to historic conditions and in natural wetlands with highly variable hydroperiods.