# Sorghum

Sorghum is a type of grain that grows tall like grass. It is used to make food like bread, porridge, and animal feed. Sorghum comes in different colors like red, white, and brown.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Farms
- **Also known as:** Great Millet, Sorghum Bicolor

![Sorghum](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Sorghum_bicolor_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1070429.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sorghum_bicolor_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1070429.jpg)

## Appearance

The Sorghum is a tall, grass-like plant with broad leaves resembling corn, typically growing in dense clumps. It features a distinctive, large seed head (panicle) at the top, which can vary in color from pale cream to reddish-brown as it ripens, making it visually distinct.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Poales
- **Family:** Poaceae
- **Genus:** Sorghum

## Interesting facts

- Beyond food, specific types of sorghum are harvested to make brooms and brushes!
- Did you know sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop globally? It feeds millions!
- Some sorghum varieties grow so tall, they can be taller than a basketball hoop!
- The sturdy stalks of sorghum can even be used to create biofuel for energy!

## Special abilities

- **Drought Defender:** Sorghum can survive long dry spells thanks to waxy leaves that hold water and deep roots to reach moisture.
- **Sun Powerhouse:** Sorghum has a special way to turn sunshine into energy, called C4 photosynthesis, making it efficient in hot, sunny places.
- **Soil Scout:** Sorghum can grow well even in poor soils by efficiently using nitrogen, an important nutrient, to thrive.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 100-500 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Wind

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Greenbug (*Schizaphis graminum*) — Feeds on sorghum leaves, causing damage.
- **Eats:** African Maize Stalk Borer (*Busseola fusca*) — Larvae bore into stems, weakening the plant.
- **Eats:** [House Sparrow](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-sparrow) (*Passer domesticus*) — Flocks feast on ripening grain in fields.
- **Eaten by:** [Cattle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cattle) (*Bos taurus*) — Cultivated and consumed as a nutritious forage crop.

## Traits

- [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability.
- [Grain Crop](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grain-crop): This human use trait denotes species cultivated as grain crops, harvested for their edible dry seeds (grains), which are a staple food source.
- [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

## Collections

- [Grain Crops](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/grain-crops)
- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Sorghum plants are safe to touch, but it's important to ask an adult before picking or eating any grains.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Sorghum?

Compare seed heads, stem shape, how leaves attach, and the joint where leaf meets stem. A patch of mown lawn rarely shows enough for an exact ID. Grass Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Sorghum?

100-500 cm

### How wide does Sorghum spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Sorghum?

0.1-0.5 cm

### When does Sorghum bloom?

Summer

### Is Sorghum edible?

Yes

### Is Sorghum toxic?

None

### What is Sorghum's lifecycle?

Annual

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Sorghum: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sorghum)