Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.

Synonyms

Holcus halepensis L.

Family

Gramineae (South Australia)
Poaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)

Common Names

Aleppo, Aleppo grass, Aleppo milletgrass, Arabian millet, Cuba grass, Cubagrass, Egyptian grass, Egyptian millet, evergreen millet, false Guinea grass, false Guineagrass, Johnson grass, Johnsongrass, maiden-cane, maidencane, means grass, meansgrass, millet grass, Morocco millet, St Mary's grass, Syria grass, Syriagrass

Origin

The exact native range of this species is obscure. It is thought to be native to north-eastern Africa, the middle-east, western Asia and Indian Sub-continent.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised, particularly in the wetter parts of mainland Australia. It is most prominent in the coastal and sub-coastal regions of New South Wales and in south-eastern Queensland. Relatively common in Victoria, the ACT, south-eastern South Australia and south-western Western Australia. It also has a scattered distribution in other parts of these states.

Widely naturalised overseas, including in North America (i.e. southern Canada, the USA and Mexico), Central America, South America, south-eastern Asia (i.e. the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea), New Zealand and on numerous Pacific islands (e.g. Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, New Caledonia, Palau and Tonga).

Notes

Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) is sometimes regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales and Victoria. It was recently listed as a priority environmental weed in two Natural Resource Management regions.