A Simplified Classification of Cultivated Sorghum¹

Abstract

The simplified classification presented for Sorghum bicolor (Linn.) Moencihs is so easy that it requires no special knowledge of the crop to correctly identify mature heads and spikelets. Variation is partitioned into five basic races (bicolor, guinea, caudatum, kafir, and durra) and all combinations of their hybrid derivatives, for a total of 15 races. Intermediate races are designated, for example, as kafir‐caudatum, durra‐bicolor, etc. Subraces are the commonly used agronomic groups (feterita, kaura, sorgo, sudangrass, etc.) familiar to sorghum workers. None of these requires a formal Latin name.