johnsongrass USDA PLANTS Symbol: SOHA
U.S. Nativity: Exotic
Habit: Grass or Grasslike
Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.

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Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Cyperales: Poaceae
Native Range: Africa, Asia ()

Appearance
Sorghum halepense is a tall (up to 8 ft. [2.4 m]), rhizomatous, perennial grass that invades open areas throughout the United States.
Foliage
The 2 ft. (0.6 m) long, lanceolate leaves are arranged alternately along a stout, hairless, somewhat upward branching stem and have distinct, white midribs.
Flowers
Flowers occur in a loose, spreading, purplish panicle.
Fruit
Fruits are also produced in a panicle. Seeds form in the sessile spikelets.
Ecological Threat
Sorghum halepense is adapted to a wide variety of habitats including open forests, old fields, ditches and wetlands. It spreads aggressively and can form dense colonies which displace native vegetation and restrict tree seedling establishment. Sorghum halepense has naturalized throughout the world, but it is thought to be native to the Mediterranean region. It was first introduced into the United States in the early 1800s as a forage crop.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Selected Images from Invasive.orgView All Images at Invasive.org


Flower(s);
Jil Swearingen, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

Flower(s); July. Photo from Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses by J.H. Miller and K.V. Miller, published by The University of Georgia Press in cooperation with the Southern Weed Science Society.
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Spikelet(s); Ventral view of spikelets with pedicel and rachis segment
Julia Scher, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s);
Barry Fitzgerald, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
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Infestation;
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Seedling(s);
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Root(s); Roots
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Feature(s); Ligule
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s);
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Rhizome / Stolon; Rhizomes
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Feature(s); Leaf collar region
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
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Infestation; Invasive plants complicate roadise begetation management programs, create safety hazards by obscuring visibility and increasing the intensity of roadsidefires, and provide seed sources for infestation of adjacent fields.
Bonnie Harper-Lore, Federal Highway Administration, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s);
Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
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Root(s);
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s);
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Foliage; Ligule
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Foliage;
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Stem(s); Stem
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Infestation; Large infestation in September
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s); Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 1: 121.
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s); Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Misc. Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC.
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s);
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
 


State List
This map identifies those states that list this species on their invasive species list or law.

U.S. National Parks where reported invasive:
Antietam National Battlefield (Maryland)
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (Virginia)
Booker T Washington National Monument (Virginia)
Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona)
Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia)
Death Valley National Park (California)
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park (Virginia)
George Washington Birthplace National Monument (Virginia)
Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina & Tennessee)
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (Texas)
Monocacy National Battlefield Park (Maryland)
Organ Pipe National Monument (Arizona)
Petersburg National Battlefield (Virginia)
Richmond National Battlefield Park (Virginia)
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (Texas)
Stones River National Battlefield (Tennessee)
Vicksburg National Military Park (Mississippi)



Invasive Listing Sources:
Alabama Invasive Plant Council
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council
Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council
Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998
South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council
Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999