Torpedo Grass
Panicum repens
- Native to:
- Albania, Aldabra, Algeria, Andaman Is., Angola, Australia, Baleares, Bangladesh, Benin, Borneo, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Chad, China, Cocos (Keeling) Is., Congo, Corse, Cyprus, DR Congo, East Aegean Is., Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hainan, India, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Kriti, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, NW. Balkan Pen., Palau, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, Rwanda, Sardegna, Senegal, Seychelles, Sicilia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South China Sea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan-South Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Türkiye, Uganda, United States, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Harry Rose (www.flickr.com) from South West Rocks, Australia
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Genus:
- Panicum
- Species:
- Panicum repens
- USDA Symbol:
- PARE3
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Graminoid
- Height:
- 100 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- jun,jul,aug,sep,oct
- Bloom Colors:
- green
Wildlife Benefits
- Caterpillars:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★☆☆ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Ocola Skipper (Panoquina ocola)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- waterfowl, small mammals
- Salt Tolerant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from rhizomes after fire; fire may temporarily reduce aboveground biomass but does not eliminate established populations.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- moist, fertile, sandy loam
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Common in wetland and riparian zones
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- None required
- Germination Time:
- 7–21 days
- Notes:
- Spreads primarily vegetatively via rhizomes and stolons; seed germination is secondary to vegetative reproduction.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI