Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sorghum halepense
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Johnsongrass from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sorghum halepense
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)
Sorghum halepense
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-88-001:
Sorghum halepense FAMILY Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Sorgum halepense
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Sorghum halepense
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Holcus halepensis
COMMON NAME:
Johnsongrass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_hoha_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950 pnd_soha_001_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_087
)
JK Marlow jkm0307k_33
July Greenville County SC
Roadside
One of our most pernicious weeds, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm0407y_33
July Greenville County SC
Roadside
A serious weed, difficult to eradicate, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm080705_048
July Swain County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm080705_055
July Swain County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm080705_062
July Swain County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm080705_066
July Swain County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm140730_217
July Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
It's easy not to notice the feathery stigmas of wind-pollinated grass flowers.
)
JK Marlow jkm140730_219
July Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
)
JK Marlow jkm0308m_10
August Greenville County SC
Leaves to 24" long, 0.4-0.8" wide, developing a prominent white midvein, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow s030815_ab
August Greenville County SC
)
Gill Newberry gn09_sorgham_halepense
September
)
Gill Newberry gn09_sorgum_halepense_inf
September
Open spreading panicle 15-50cm long, w numerous whorled projecting branches, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm0309e_10a
September Greenville County SC
Roadside
Its panicle has a reddish color a little different from any other grass, per All About Weeds (Spencer, 1940).
)
JK Marlow jkm0110k_09a
October Greenville County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow s071027_b
October Abbeville County SC
Field
Spikelets paired: one silky and sessile, one stalked and smooth, both w awns, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sorghum halepense
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sorghum halepense
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Sorghum halepense
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-88-001:
Sorghum halepense
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Sorgum halepense
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Sorghum halepense
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Holcus halepensis
1445
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Fields, pastures, roadsides, waste places, cultivated fields, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Eurasia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- NC Department of Transportation
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About Weeds (Spencer, 1940) p024
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p258
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p377
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p088
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p773
- Invasive Exotic Plants of North Carolina (Smith, 2008) p080
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p416
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p349
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p402
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p060
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
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Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".