Johnson grass

American  

noun

1. a sorghum, Sorghum halepense, that spreads by creeping rhizomes, grown for fodder.

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Johnson grass British  

noun

1. a persistent perennial Mediterranean grass, Sorghum halepense, cultivated for hay and pasture in the US where it also grows as a weed See also sorghum

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Etymology

Origin of Johnson grass

1880–85, named after William Johnson, American agriculturist who first planted it in 1840

Example Sentences

They are targeting Johnson grass, giant foxtail, Canada thistle, nodding thistle, common teasel, multiflora rose, Amur honeysuckle, poison hemlock, marestail, Japanese knotweed and kudzu.

From Washington Times • Mar. 18, 2021

Johnson grass, originally and recklessly introduced as a forage crop, is a pest in much of the South, especially in cane fields.

From Time Magazine Archive

Forewarned by this disturbing experience, they gathered seed from some of the hardy Johnson grass survivors and tried the effect of 2,4-D on the second generation.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week the Department of Agriculture glumly admitted that Johnson grass is showing signs of making itself immune to 2,4-D.

From Time Magazine Archive

The field was covered in Johnson grass and we tried to help the grass grow by plowing the field every year.

From The Life of Me; an autobiography by Johnson, Clarence Edgar