FNPS Plant Database

Saccharum giganteum

sugarcane plumegrass
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

sugarcane plumegrass

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Saccharum giganteum

Family:

Poaceae (Gramineae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

Grass

Size:

2–4 (10) ft tall by 1–3 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or background plant in moist informal garden. This is a mid-sized bunching grass until the flower stalk shoots up in the fall. Then it sports a tall silvery plume that gradually turns to light brown.

Considerations:

The flower stalks need to be removed once no longer showy.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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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

Soil pH:

Acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds

Host plant for the Clouded Skipper butterfly (Lerema accius).

Birds will eat the seeds. Provides cover.

Native Habitats:

Flatwoods, marshes, coastal swales, cypress ponds, lake shores, cutthroat seep

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Minno, Marc, and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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