Sorghum
Sorghum bicolor
Also known as: sorghum
- Native to:
- Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guam, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Palau, Réunion, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, Uganda, Virgin Islands, Zambia, Zimbabwe
No machine-readable author provided. Pethan assumed (based on copyright claims).
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Genus:
- Sorghum
- Species:
- Sorghum bicolor
- USDA Symbol:
- SOBI2
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Growth Habit:
- Graminoid
- Height:
- 500 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- jul,aug,sep
Wildlife Benefits
- Caterpillars:
- ★★★☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Agrotis orthogonia, American wainscot (Hydraecia immanis), Armyworm moth (Pseudaletia unipuncta), corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), Cosmet moth (Pyroderces rileyi), Erelieva quantulella, European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), Faronta albilinea, Honeydew moth (Cryptoblabes gnidiella), Leucania latiuscula, Leucania multilinea, Nola cereella (Nola cereella), Olivia's buckmoth (Hemileuca oliviae), sorghum nola moth (Nola sorghiella), Western yellowstriped armyworm (Spodoptera praefica)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, small mammals
- Salt Tolerant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- As a warm-season grass, sorghum can resprout from the crown after fire or mowing if growing conditions allow.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- fertile, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- native to tropical and subtropical regions
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- None required
- Germination Time:
- 5–10 days
- Notes:
- Requires warm soil temperatures (65-85°F) for optimal germination. Seeds germinate readily without pretreatment.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
ORGHPS Germination Guide: Sow @ 20C. Germinates within 3 months.