| Home | > | List of cultivated families | > | Poaceae | > | Sorghum | > | bicolor |
| Synonyms: | ||
| Common names: | ||
| Description: | Annual. Culms erect; robust; 100-600 cm long; 50-300 mm diam. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaves cauline. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-3 mm long. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded. Leaf-blades 30-100 cm long; 5-10 mm wide. Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle straight, or deflexed. Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or ovate, or globose; equilateral, or nodding; 4-50 cm long; 2-20 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed, or spreading; not whorled; moderately divided. Panicle branches pubescent, or villous. Racemes bearing few fertile spikelets; 1-6 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis tough; ciliate on margins. Rhachis internodes filiform, or linear; 0.5-5 mm long. Rhachis internode tip transverse. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets pedicelled; 1 in the cluster. Pedicels filiform; ciliate. Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; male; lanceolate; as long as fertile; separately deciduous. Companion sterile spikelet glumes herbaceous; muticous. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas enclosed by glumes. Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or ovate, or obovate, or orbicular; dorsally compressed; 3-10 mm long; persistent on plant. Spikelet callus glabrous, or pilose; base obtuse. Glumes dissimilar; with lower wider than upper; exceeding apex of florets; firmer than fertile lemma; parallel to lemmas, or gaping. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of spikelet; chartaceous, or coriaceous; pallid, or red, or black; 2-keeled; keeled above. Lower glume surface glabrous, or pilose. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous, or coriaceous; 1-keeled; keeled above; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or pubescent. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid. Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 0.8 length of spikelet; hyaline; 2-5 -veined; ciliolate on margins. Fertile lemma obovate; 1-3 mm long; hyaline; 1-3 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; geniculate; with twisted column. Column of lemma awn pubescent; hairy on the spiral. Palea present. Lodicules 2; ciliate. Caryopsis exposed between gaping lemma and palea at maturity. | |
| Notes: | ||
| Derivation of specific name: | bicolor: 2-coloured | |
| Flowering time: | ||
| Worldwide distribution: | comprises all the grain sorghums, some of which are cultivated in the Flora Zambesiaca area, especially in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. | |
| Growth form(s): | ||
| Insects associated with this species: | Cnaphalocrocis trapezalis (Larval foodplant) Mocis proverai (Larval food plant) | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species | |
| Literature: |
Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 110. Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 28. |
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