Sorghum halepense

Common Name: 
Johnson grass, meansgrass
Scientific Name: 
Sorghum halepense (L.) Per.
Family Name: 
Poaceae (Graminae) - Grass Family
Identification Notes
Life Cycle
introduced perennial, reproducing by seed and thick, fleshy whitish rhizomes with red or purple
Culms
upright, tall, swollen nodes, pink to red at base, forming dense clumps or solid stands
Culms of Johnsongrass
Culms of Johnsongrass
Culms of Johnsongrass
Culms of Johnsongrass
Leaves
blades smooth above and below, prominent white midrib white above and below, midrib breaks when folded, margins rough; rolled in bud; auricles absent; ligule membranous with short hair on top; sheaths smooth, round or slightly flattened, split and overlap
Leaves of Johnsongrass
Seedheads
terminal panicle, large, open, well-branched, often reddish or purple
Seedheads of Johnsongrass