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| ## fall panicgrass {#fall-panicgrass .Title-Header}                   |
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| *Panicum dichotomiflorum* Michx.                                      |
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| Plant Symbol = PADI                                                   |
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*Contributed by: USDA, NRCS, Louisiana State Office, National Plant Data
Center, & the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative-South Central Region*

## Alternative Names

Fall panic grass, fall panicum, kneegrass, spreading panicgrass,
spreading panicum, spreading witchgrass, sprouting crabgrass, and zigzag
grass. The genus, panicum refers to the type of seed head.
*Dichotomiflorum* refers to the individual flowers arranged in pairs.
Fall panicgrass resembles switchgrass (*Panicum virgatum*) and
witchgrass (*Panicum capillare*). However, switchgrass is a perennial,
clump-forming grass that does not fall to the ground after the beginning
of winter. Witchgrass has a rounder, dense seed head and the seeds are
smaller.

## 

## Uses

*Warning-Livestock:* Fall panicgrass has been blamed for causing nitrate
poisoning and extreme sensitivity to light in livestock (called
photosensitivity).

of any skin that is not protected from the sun.

*Noxious:* Fall panicgrass has become a nuisance in cultivated fields,
such as corn, alfalfa, and
soybeans.![](media/image2.jpeg){width="1.8805555555555555in"
height="3.9819444444444443in"}

*Wildlife*: Small seed eating birds and ducks eat the small seeds. Fall
panicgrass produces a large number of seeds. After the first frost, the
seeds fall to the water and the sites are used as feeding and loafing
areas for ducks, coots, and wading birds. It provides browse for deer
and rabbits.

*Conservation Practices*: Fall panicgrass, because of its growth habit,
potentially has application when established with certain conservation
practices; however, conservation practice standards vary by state. For
localized information, consult your local NRCS Field Office.

## Status

Consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

## Description

*General*: Grass Family (Poaceae). It is a tufted, annual, vigorous
grass, which belongs to the largest genus. Culms are erect to ascending
and range in heights of 6 feet. Basally, the culms are decumbent to
geniculate and root at the nodes. The culms bend at the nodes forming a
zigzag pattern; hence the name zigzag grass. The blades are flat,
smooth, up to 20 inches long, and ¾ inch wide. The margins on the
underside are scantily ciliate. The leaf sheaths are loose, purplish,
and smooth with the margins thin and dry. The ligules are membranous and
are surrounded in thick, small, white hairs. The inflorescence is a
panicle located on the top of the main stem or on the primary stems. The
spikelets are purple to brown, oblong and range in lengths of up to 10
inches long. The first glume is about ¹∕20 inch long and with 1 to 3
indistinct nerves. The second glume and the sterile lemma are even in
length, green or partially purple, acute, 5 to 7 nerved, and are twice
as long as the first glume. The fertile palea and lemma are acute, light
to dark brown or purple, and ⅛ to ¹∕6 inch long. The caryopsis is
yellow-brown, and elliptic.

## Distribution

Fall panicgrass is found mostly in moist areas along streams,
floodplains, wet clearings, and as a weed in cultivated areas and waste
sites. It is commonly found with *Echinochloa walteri* and *Echinochloa
crusgalli.* Fall panicgrass is located throughout the United States,
Nova Scotia and in the West Indies. It is native to Louisiana. For
current distribution, consult the Plant Profile page for this species on
the PLANTS Web site.

## Establishment

*Adaptation*: Fall panicgrass is found in freshwater to intermediate
water where salinity ranges from 0 to 3.5 parts per thousand. During the
summer, a change from moist soils to dry soils is required for the seeds
to germinate. Shallow flooding after germination provides for maximum
growth. Organic soils produce the most prolific stands; however, it can
grow on mineral soils. Fall panicgrass is an indicator plant for
anaerobic, compacted soil.

*General*: Seeds propagate fall panicgrass. Stratification of mature
seeds must occur before the seeds will germinate. Germination takes
place from April to May and will continue throughout the summer months.
To obtain the highest germination percentage, a soil temperature of 80°
F is suggested. If competition is suppressed, plants that germinate
first will produce up to ten times more dry matter than those maturing
later in the year did. Before flowering from August to September, fall
panicgrass is at its peak in growth.

It is not recommended to mix fall panicgrass seeds with warm season
grass seeds. In Louisiana, the warm season grasses can be taken over
because they develop slower than the cool season grasses. It is also
recommended that seed not be moved more than 300 miles north, 100 miles
east or west, or 200 miles south of its point of origin.

## Management

The best control method for fall panicgrass in cultivated fields is to
establish a shady crop canopy, because fall panicgrass must have full
sun to grow. Check with the local extension service for recommended
herbicides. Fall panicgrass is susceptible to the following diseases:
Barley yellow dwarf luteovirus, Maize chlorotic mottle machlomovirus,
Maize white line mosiac virus, and insusceptible to Panicum mosiac
sobemovirus.

## Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Contact your local NRCS Field Office. Common seed and container plants
are readily available from a number of growers, wholesalers, and
retailers of native seed.

## References

Hitchcock, A.S. 1950. *Manual of the grasses of the United States*. USDA
Miscellaneous Publication No 200. Agricultural Research Administration,
Washington, D.C. Pp. 685.

Texas A&M University 1997. *Grass images: Panicum dichotomiflorum.*
\<http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/taesgrass/4638200e.jpg\>.
Bioinformatics Working Group, College Station, Texas.

USDA, NRCS 2003. *The PLANTS database*. \<http://plants.usda.gov\>.
001106. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

## Prepared By

# *Selena Dawn Newman*

USDA NRCS Louisiana State Office

# *Maraya Gates*

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

## Species Coordinator

# *Mike Materne*

Louisiana State University, Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited 06dec00 jsp;05feb03ahv; 10aug03 jsp; 25may06jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
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