Sorghum halepense
Johnson grass
0.4–2 cm thick.
blades flat, 8–40 mm wide, glabrous to slightly scabrous.
open, 10–50 × 5–25 cm; dark reddish brown at maturity;
disarticulation below the sessile spikelets, or below the pedicellate spikelets.
hard; shiny, appressed pubescent.
not exposed at maturity.
3.8–6.5 × 1.5–2.3 mm; bisexual.
3.6–5.6 mm, staminate.
awnless or awned;
lemma awns; if present; bent, twisted; to 13 mm.
1.9– 2.7 mm.
=20, 40.
Sorghum halepense
Disturbed, often moist, grassy areas, roadsides. 50–600m. Col, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; south to Mexico; tropical and temperate regions worldwide. Exotic.
Sorghum halepense is a weedy, perennial grass that spreads from deeply buried rhizomes. At maturity, it can be recognized by the large, reddish brown inflorescences. Sorghum bicolor is usually annual, more robust, with a denser inflorescence.
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
