Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, wastelots, and other disturbed areas.
Flowers: July-October
Origin: Introduced from Mediterranean
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Wind
Strongly rhizomatous perennial, the culms 1-1.5 m. tall.
Sheaths open; ligules about 2 mm. long, hairy and fringed; blades flat, 10-20 mm. broad.
Inflorescence a large panicle up to 3 dm. long, the branch tips raceme-like, ending in 3 spikelets; lower nodes each with a sessile, perfect-flowered spikelet and a pedicillate, staminate spikelet, the 2 spikelets about 6 mm. long; pedicillate spikelet unawned; sessile spikelet with an awn 9-15 mm. long; glumes hardened, shiny, unnerved; lemmas and paleas papery and delicate.
Publication: Revisio Generum Plantarum 3: 368. 1898.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Sorghum halepense in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.
WA Flora Checklist: Sorghum halepense checklist entry.
OregonFlora: Sorghum halepense information.
E-Flora BC: Sorghum halepense atlas page.
CalPhotos: Sorghum halepense photos.
USDA Plants: Sorghum halepense information.
