• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Texas A&M Forest Service
  • Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Research
  • Texas A&M College of Agrculture and Life Sciences
AquaPlant
AquaPlantA Diagnostics Tool for Pond Plants and Algae
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Identify a Plant
  • Do I need a permit?
  • FAQs
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Online Courses
  • Get Help

Panic Grass

Panicum spp.

Panic Grass Locations in North America
Panic Grass Locations in Southeast US
torpedograss side view

maidencane in field
Maidencane top view

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration courtesy of University of Florida/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. Used with permission.

What is Panic Grass?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

  • Grass like
  • Linear
  • Flat or folded

Flowers:

  • Branching
  • Grow in clusters

Stem:

  • Creeping rhizomes
  • Hollow stem

Where Does it Grow?

Panic grass can be found on the banks of lakes, ponds, and streams and in the shallow water of lakes and ponds.

Pros and Cons of Panic Grass

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.

What Type of Panic Grass Do I Have?

There are three common species of panic grass in North America. Click on the buttons to learn more about each species.

Panicum repens
Panicum hemitomon
Panicum maximum
How to Manage This Plant
Plant Glossary

Search for a type of plant

2023 Aquatic Webinars

Feb. 24: Ornamental Ponds and Water Gardens

Mar. 21: Selecting Herbicides for Aquatic Vegetation Control

Apr. 18: Pond Stocking 

May 16: Aquatic Plant ID & Management Options

Jun 20: Fish Management Strategies

Email Subscription

Receive updates on upcoming webinars and newly published materials.

Sign Up Now

Hire a Professional Contact Your Ag & Natural Resource Agent Aquatic Plant Nurseries Permissions and Citations Aquatic Herbicide Tables

Bookstore Items

Aquatic Vegetation Identification Cards

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Texas A&M University System Member

Photo Credits: The majority of the aquatic plant line drawings are the copyright of the University of Florida Center for Aquatic Plants (Gainsville). They are used with permission.

Aquatic plant photographs were provided by David Bayne, Jim Davis, Kelly Duffie, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, John Clayton, Chetta Owens, Diane Smith, Joe Snow, Don Steinbach, Bridget Robinson Lassiter and Peter Woods.

You may use these photos, so long as you give credit to AquaPlant.

  • Compact with Texans
  • Privacy and Security
  • Accessibility Policy
  • State Link Policy
  • Statewide Search
  • Veterans Benefits
  • Military Families
  • Risk, Fraud & Misconduct Hotline
  • Texas Homeland Security
  • Texas Veterans Portal
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Open Records/Public Information