Johnson grass

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Johnson grass habit

Johnson grass

Johnson grass inflorescence

Johnson grass

Johnson grass leaf

Johnson grass

Morphology

Culm

Erect, stout, simple or branched, pubescent at nodes, otherwise glabrous.

Blades

Flat, 8 to 36 inches long, .5 to 1.5 inches wide, drooping, usually glabrous, often purple spotted, midrib prominent.

Sheath

Usually shorter than internodes, open.

Ligule

Membranous, conspicuously fringed.

Inflorescence

Panicles, open, oval to oblong in outline, 6 to 20 inches long, often purplish; branches whorled; axils hairy.

Spikelets

In pairs; sessile spikelets fertile, 2-flowered, ovate-lanceolate, pale greenish yellow to purplish; awns to 1/2 inch long, twisted and bent; stalked spikelets usually staminate, narrower, lanceolate; awns absent.

Ecology

Habitat

Open waste areas, roadsides and field margins, in moist soil.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Johnson grass has moderate forage value but is poisonous to livestock if grazed under drought conditions or following the first frost due to its prussic acid content.

Uses

Kiowa children used the stems and leaves to make whistles.

Additional Notes