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Sorghum bicolor
| Common name: |
Sorghum |
Family: |
Gramineae |
| Author: |
(L.)Moench. |
Botanical references: |
200 |
| Synonyms: |
Sorghum vulgare (Pers.), Sorghum saccharatum ((L.) Moench.), Holcus sorghum (L.), Holcus bicolor (L.), Andropogon sorghum ((L.)Brot.) |
| Known Hazards: |
The immature plant is poisonous, especially if slightly wilted, since it can contain the toxins hydrogen cyanide and the alkaloid hordenine[4, 142, 269]. These substances are destroyed if the plant is dried or made into silage[269]. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death. |
| Range: |
Original habitat is obscure. |
| Habitat: |
Not known in the wild. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 1 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Andropogon arundinaceus saccha[H]
Andropogon arundinaceus var. saccha[H]
Andropogon sorghum subvar. rubidus[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. agricolarum[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. arduinii[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. caudatus[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. compactus[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. ehrenbergianus[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. elegans[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. hians[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. miliiformis[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. splendidus[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. subglobosus[G]
Andropogon sorghum var. technicus[G]
Andropogon subglabrescens[G]
Holcus cernuus[G]
Holcus dochna[G]
Holcus durra[G]
Holcus saccharatus[G]
Milium nigricans[G]
Panicum caffrorum[G]
S. basutorum[G]
S. bicolor ssp. bicolor[B,P]
S. bicolor var. aethiopicum[P]
S. bicolor var. arduinii[G]
S. bicolor var. caffrorum[B,P]
S. bicolor var. subglobosum[G]
S. bicolor var. technicum[G]
S. bicolor var. virgatum[P]
S. caffrorum[B,G,P]
S. caffrorum var. brunneolum[G]
S. caffrorum var. lasiorhachis[G]
S. caudatum[G]
S. cernuum[B,G,P]
S. cernuum var. agricolarum[G]
S. cernuum var. orbiculatum[G]
S. conspicuum[G]
S. conspicuum var. pilosum[G]
S. conspicuum var. rubicundum[G]
S. coriaceum[G]
S. coriaceum var. subinvolutum[G]
S. dochna[B,G,P]
S. dochna var. technicum[B,G,P]
S. durra[B,G,P]
S. elegans[G]
S. gambicum[G]
S. guineense[G,P]
S. japonicum[G]
S. lanceolatum[P]
S. margaritiferum[G]
S. melaleucum[G]
S. mellitum[G]
S. membranaceum[G]
S. membranaceum var. ehrenbergianum[G]
S. miliiforme[G]
S. nervosum[G,P]
S. nigricans[G]
S. notabile[G]
S. roxburghii[G]
S. roxburghii var. hians[G]
S. simulans[G]
S. splendidum[G]
S. subglabrescens[B,G,P]
S. subglabrescens var. compactum[G]
S. subglabrescens var. oviforme[G]
S. subglabrescens var. rubidum[G]
S. technicum[G]
S. virgatum[P]
S. vulgare var. caffrorum[B,G,P]
S. vulgare var. durra[B,G,P]
S. vulgare var. roxburghii[B,G,P]
S. vulgare var. saccharatum[B,G,P]
S. vulgare var. technicum[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Bayaz Dari [E], Broom-Corn [H], Broom-corn [B], Broomcorn [H,P], Chinese Sugar-maple [H], Dari [E], Durra [E], Guinea Corn [H], Kafferkoren [D], Kao Liang [E], Serce Darisi [E], Shu Shu [E], Sorghum Seeds [H], Sugar-maple Chinese [H], Thura [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
bicolor = 2 colored
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
China
Egypt India(Santal) Iraq Turkey Us
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania. |
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
1/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Seed
Stem Sweetener.
Seed - raw or cooked. It is used as a whole grain in similar ways to
rice or can be ground into a flour and made into bread etc[2, 4, 57, 162,
183]. The ground seed yields a particularly white flour[7]. Sorghum is a
staple food in some regions, where it is often fermented (lactic acid
fermentation) before being eaten[183]. The sprouted seed can be eaten raw,
and is sometimes added to salads[183].
Sap - raw or cooked. Very sweet, it is made into a syrup[1, 2, 46, 57, 257].
Stems - cooked[105]. Some caution is advised here, there are some reports
that the leaves can contain the poison cyanide[4]. Composition
- Seed (Dry weight)
-
In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 12
Calories: 342
Protein: 10
Fat: 3.7
Carbohydrate: 72.7
Fibre: 2.2
Ash: 1.5
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 22
Phosphorus: 242
Iron: 3.8
Sodium: 8
Potassium: 44
VitaminA: 0
Thiamine: 0.33
Riboflavin: 0.18
Niacin: 3.9
VitaminC: 0
Source: [269]
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Astringent
Demulcent Diuretic Haemostatic.
The decoction of the seed is demulcent and diuretic[4]. It is used in
the treatment of kidney and urinary complaints[4].
The inflorescence is astringent and haemostatic[7].
Other Uses
Biomass
Broom Weaving.
The flowering panicles are used as brushes brooms and whisks etc[1, 2,
4, 46, 57].
Stems are used for weaving fences, mats, wattle houses etc[178].
The plant is an excellent source of biomass[269].
Cultivation details
A fairly easily grown plant, though it is on the edges of its climatic
zone in Britain. It requires a warm, sheltered and sunny position[160],
preferring a slightly to moderately acid soil[160, 269], though some
cultivars have succeeded with a pH as high as 8[269]. Plants are adapted to a
wide range of soils varying from light loams to heavy clays, they thrive best
on light, easily worked soils of high fertility, with moderate to high
availablility of water[269]. Moderately well-drained soils are suitable for
sorghums[269]. Small amounts of alkali in sand reduces performance
considerably[269]. Plants are moderatley tolerant of saline soils[269].
Established plants are very drought resistant, they succeed in arid
soils[171]. A nitrogen rich soil causes the plants to lodge[160]. Plants are
reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 20 to 410cm, an
annual temperature in the range of 7.8 to 27.8° C and a pH of 4.3 to 8.7[269].
Sorghum is widely cultivated in tropical and warm temperate zones for its
edible seed, as well as for its panicles (which are used as brooms) and the
syrup obtained from its sap. Yields of around 6 tonnes per hectare have been
achieved, though yields as low as 200 kilos have been reported - yields below
2 tonnes are not considered financially viable[269].There are many named
varieties[4, 50, 61, 183]. Some cultivars are short-day plants and are
unlikely to produce flowers and seed away from the tropical zone[269]. Plants
are adapted to tropical and subtropical summer rainfall climates with
rainfall from 25 - 125 cm annually, they are of little importance in more
humid areas with higher rainfall[269]. It is grown in Britain as a tender
bedding plant but requires a long hot summer if it is to ripen its seed
here[200]. In warmer climates it takes 3 months from sowing to seed
harvest[160].
Propagation
Seed - sow April in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed.
Germination should take place within 2 weeks if given a minimum germination
temperature of 23° c[160]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once
they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected
frosts. Consider giving them some protection, such as a cloche, until they
are growing away strongly.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [FAO] Data
(Description, Habitat, Location and Use) from the FAO's Grassland Index.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HEC] Use, Folk Medicine, etc. from Handbook of Energy Crops by James Duke
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Sorghum bicolor ssp. bicolor (a possible synonym).
References for Sorghum saccharatum (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for Sorghum vulgare (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.
[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
[162] Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9
Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.
[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
[269] Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of plants.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
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