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''Sorghum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most species are native to Australia, with some extending to Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica, and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.〔(Moench, Conrad. 1794. Methodus Plantas Horti Botanici et Agri Marburgensis : a staminum situ describendi page 207 ) in Latin〕〔(Tropicos, ''Sorghum'' Moench )〕〔(Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 600 高粱属 gao liang shu ''Sorghum'' Moench, Methodus. 207. 1794 )〕〔(Flora of Pakistan, Sorghum Moench., Meth. Bot. 207. 1794 )〕〔(Altervista Flora Italiana, genere ''Sorghum'' )〕〔(Atlas of Living Australia )〕 One species is grown for grain, while many others are used as fodder plants, either intentionally cultivated or allowed to grow naturally, in pasture lands. The plants are cultivated in warm climates worldwide and naturalized in many places.〔(Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps )〕 ''Sorghum'' is in the subfamily Panicoideae and the tribe Andropogoneae (the tribe of big bluestem and sugarcane). ==Cultivation and uses== One species, ''Sorghum bicolor'', native to Africa with many cultivated forms now,〔http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200026333〕 is an important crop worldwide, used for food (as grain and in sorghum syrup or "sorghum molasses"), animal fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, and biofuels. Most varieties are drought- and heat-tolerant, and are especially important in arid regions, where the grain is one of the staples for poor and rural people. These varieties form important components of pastures in many tropical regions. ''S. bicolor'' is an important food crop in Africa, Central America, and South Asia, and is the "fifth-most important cereal crop grown in the world".〔(Sorghum ), U.S. Grains Council.〕 Some species of sorghum can contain levels of hydrogen cyanide, hordenine, and nitrates lethal to grazing animals in the early stages of the plants' growth. When stressed by drought or heat, plants can also contain toxic levels of cyanide and/or nitrates at later stages in growth.〔Cyanide (prussic acid) and nitrate in sorghum crops - managing the risks. Primary industries and fisheries. Queensland Government. http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_20318.htm. 21 April 2011.〕 Another ''Sorghum'' species, Johnson grass (''S. halapense''), is classified as an invasive species in the US by the Department of Agriculture.〔(Johnson Grass ), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Accessed 2257 UDT, 12 March 2009.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sorghum」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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