Holcus

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Read about Holcus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Holcus (Latin name for a kind of grass, from holkos, attractive). Gramineae. This genus, named Holcus by Linnams, was called Sorgum by Adanson (Sorghum, Moench). The name Holcus was accepted by some botanists while by others the genus was united with Andropogon. It seems best, however, to restore the Linna'an name. They are important fodder grasses. The genus differs from Andropogon in having spike- lets in 3's in an open or contracted panicle. The various cult, varieties known as sorghum or sorgo, broom- corn, Jerusalem corn, milo maize or milo, durra, and so on, are considered by some botanists to have been derived from the wild species, U. haiep&nsis. Linn. (Andropogon halepensis, Brot. S6rghum halipense, Pers.). Others maintain these cult, forms as varieties of a distinct species, H. Sorghum, Linn. (Andropogon Sdrghum, Brot. Sorghum uulgare, Pers.). The cult, forms are annuals, with tall jointed sts. bearing large terminal panicles. Depending upon their uses, they fall naturally into 3 groups: (1) Broom-corn, in which the branches of the panicle are elongated and are thus adapted to the manufacture of brooms; (2) the sugar or saccharine sorghums, having loose panicles, with drooping branches and red-brown spikelets, cult, for the sweet juice and for forage. Amber and Orange are leading forms of sugar sorghum. (3) The remaining varieties are grouped together as non-saccharine sorghums. They are grown for forage and for the seed. Gn. 4, p. 83 (as S. bicolar). The common forms grown in this country and offered in the trade are: Kafir corn, with sts. 4-5 ft. high, stocky growth, and dense, upright panicles; milo or milo maize, or African millet, similar but about twice as tall; durra (variously spelled doura, dhoura, and so on), including Egyptian rice corn, and Guinea corn, with compact panicles on an often recurved stalk. The wild species, H. halepensis, Linn., Johnson-grass, has a large open panicle of smaller spikelets. Gn. 13, p. 305. Dept. Agric., Div. Agrost. 14:12.—It is a perennial, spreading by stout rhizomes and very difficult to eradicate from cult, ground. For history of sorghums see Dept. Agric. Bur. PL Ind. Bull. No. 175 (1910) and Bur. PI. Ind. Circ. No. 50 (1910). Sudan-grass and Tunis-grass are varieties of sorghum that resemble Johnson-grass in aspect but are annuals devoid of rootstocks. They have recently been intro. in the U. S. and give promise of value as forage plants in the southern states. See "Some New Grasses for the South," Yearbook U. S. Dept. Agric., 1912. H. lanatus equals Notholcus lanatus The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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