Dichanthelium aciculare

Seed germination for most members of the panicum is improved by cold/moist stratification, although many may be planted fresh (Steffen 1997).

This information is for the genera Panicum and Dicanthelium with note that, because of abundance and distribution, it is one of the country's most important food sources for ground-feeding songbirds and gamebirds. It is also valuable as livestock forage. Animals that eat its seeds: Purple gallinule, Sora rail, Pectoral sandpiper, Ground dove, Mourning dove, Eastern white-winged dove, Bobwhite quail, Wild turkey, Woodcock, Redwing blackbird, Painted bunting, Cardinal, Cowbird, Brown creeper, Dickcissel, Blue grosbeak, Junco, Meadowlark, American and sprague pipit, Pyrrhuloxia, Chipping, vesper and white-throated sparrows, Pine-woods and tree sparrow, English, Harris, Henslow, Ipswich and sharp-tailed sparrows, Field, grasshopper, song, swamp and white-crowned sparrows, Savannah sparrow, Towhee, Pine warbler. Animals that eat the young plants and its seed: Baldpate and blue-winged teal, Florida and green-winged teal, Gadwall duck, Blue and canada goose, Snow goose, White-fronted goose. Animals that eat the plants: Antelope, White-tailed deer (Martin et al. 1951).

The most common low panicum (Dichanthelium) on sandy longleaf-slash pine sites (Grelen and Hughs 1984) and upland prairie remnants. The seeds of many Panicums were used as food in the Southwest. Their importance as a food source is limited because they drop their seeds quickly after ripening (Doebley 1983). Frequent found on the edges of forests through the pine and prairie regions of Louisiana.

Sandy soil.