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Summary
Physical Characteristics
Sorghum bicolor is a ANNUAL growing to 5 m (16ft 5in) at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone (UK) 8. It is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
S. saccharatum. S. vulgare. Andropogon sorghum. Holcus bicolor. H. sorghum.
Habitats
Cultivated Beds;
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Seed Stem
Edible Uses: 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].
References
| Composition
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| Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.
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Seed (Dry weight)
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- 342 Calories per 100g
- Water : 12%
- Protein: 10g; Fat: 3.7g; Carbohydrate: 72.7g; Fibre: 2.2g; Ash: 1.5g;
- Minerals - Calcium: 22mg; Phosphorus: 242mg; Iron: 3.8mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 8mg; Potassium: 44mg; Zinc: 0mg;
- Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 0.33mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0.18mg; Niacin: 3.9mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;
- Reference: [ 269]
- Notes:
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Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
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].
References
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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].
Special Uses
References
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].
References
Temperature Converter
Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:
Fahrenheit:
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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.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Amapemba, Bambaram-basso, Basse-bassi, Broomcorn, Buadoti, Cantel, Chidomba, Chipira, Dawa, Durra, Egyptian corn, Feterita, Forage sorghum, Gonkho, Grain sorghum, Great millet, Guinea corn, Hamo, Indian millet, Jagung catel, Jerusalem corn, Jowar, Kaffir-corn, Mapemba, Mapila, Midjo-cabal, Milho-cavalo, Milo, Namuve, Nhame-quinto, Pampas rice, Quinterim, Rice corn, Susu, bachanta, broom-corn, broomcorn, daza, durra, egyptian millet, feterita, forage sorghum, gao liang, gewöhnliche mohrenhirse, grain sorghum, great millet, gros mil, jowar, jowari, kaffir-corn, karal iringu, milo, morokoshi, nickende mohrenhirse, okababa, poroporo, shallu, shatter cane, sorgho, sorghum, sorgo, sudangrass, susu, sweet sor.
Found In
Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available
Africa, Arabia, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma, Central Africa, Central African Republic, Central America, Chad, China, Congo DR, Congo, Cuba, East Africa, East Timor, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Guiana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Uganda, United States, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : Status: Least Concern
Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
Expert comment
Author
(L.)Moench.
Botanical References
200
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.
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