22 ORAMINEAE (GRASS FAMILY) 



Broom Sedge is a southern weedy grass which is extending its 

 range northward, It grows in thick tufts, the stems attaining a 

 height of three to five feet, very light green when young and turn- 

 ing to a brownish yellow as they ripen, at all times very conspicuous 

 among other grasses. Stems slender, flattened at the base, and 

 sparingly branched above. Sheaths smooth except for a slight 

 hairiness at the edge ; leaves six inches to a foot long and less than 

 a quarter-inch wide, with rough edges and upper surface somewhat 

 hairy near the base. The flowering spikes are usually in pairs, 

 sometimes in threes, about an inch long, protruding from smooth 

 spathes which are longer ; they are slender and flexuous, the joints 

 and pedicels covered with long, silky hairs. Seeds light yellow, 

 about an eighth of an inch long, oat-like in form, with a tuft of 

 fine hair at the base, and at the tip an awn nearly half an inch in 

 length. These hairy attachments help the seeds to be widely 

 sown by the winds. 



Means of control 



In newly infested ground it will pay to grub out the tufts when 

 they are first observed, their light color noticeably contrasting with 

 other grasses. In any case they should be cut while in early bloom, 

 or even before flowering in order to make certain that no seeds may 

 be developed. But if seeds have ripened and fallen, burn over the 

 ground so as to destroy such as are on its surface, and put the field 

 under cultivation in order to kill the roots, following the cultivated 

 crop with clover. In localities where this weed is most aggressive, 

 short rotations, with very thorough tillage, are necessary in order 

 to prevent it from possessing the land. 



JOHNSON-GRASS 



Sorghum halepense, Pers. 

 (Andropdgon halepensis, Brot.) 



Other English names: Means-grass, Syrian-grass, Aleppo-grass, 

 False Guinea-grass, Egyptian-grass, Morocco Millet, Arabian 

 Millet, Evergreen Millet. 



Introduced. Perennial. Propagates by seeds and by rootstocks. 



Time of bloom : Early June to July. 



