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

□□□□□□□□□■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

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.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
Click a county The county name will appear here.
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 ( Lerema accius ), Delaware Skipper ( Anatrytone logan ), and Byssus Skipper ( Problema byssus ).

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, FL.


Minno, M., J. Butler, and D. Hall. (2005). Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


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, FL.

Request an update