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Common Name: Johnson Grass

General Information

Sorghum halepense is a perennial plant that can grow up to 2.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The pollen can induce hay fever[].

Botanical References

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Range

Europe - Mediterranean.

Habitat

Dry open habitats[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	2.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in ordinary garden soil[]. It is adapted to a wide range of soil types, including upland clay, but seems to do best on porous fertile lowlands and river bottoms[]. It does well on heavy clay soils of relatively high fertility and water holding capacity[]. Temperatures below 13°C tend to inhibit flowering[]. For best results, it requires a warm sunny position[]. The plant is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 9 to 429cm, an annual temperature in the range of 8.3 to 27.8°C and a pH of 4.9 to 8.2[].
This species is not very winter hardy, tolerating occasional temperatures down to about -5°c so long as the soil is not too wet. It is best adapted to warm humid summer-rainfall areas in the subtropics, not growing well in strictly tropical areas[].
This species is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean region, but is now widely distributed as a serious weed in warm-temperate regions of the world[].
A very aggressive plant[], spreading freely at the roots and only suitable for large areas[]. It is a parent of the cultivated Sorghum (S. bicolor)[].
Classified as a short day plant, it does not flower if the daylight hours exceed about 13 hours per day[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked. It can be used whole in a similar manner to rice or millet, or it can be ground into a flour and used as a cereal in making bread, cakes etc[, ].

Medicinal

The seed is demulcent and diuretic[].

Other Uses

The plant is a potential source of biomass with yields of up to 19 tonnes per hectare[].

Propagation

Seed - sow mid spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts.
Division in mid spring as the plant comes into new growth. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.