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Midwestern Grain is Latest Random Upper West Side Plant

October 11, 2019 | 12:03 PM
in ABSURDITY, OUTDOORS
9

For some reason, the Upper West Side has been particularly fertile this year, growing melons, poisonous weeds and other delights. The latest flora to take root appears to be sorghum, a grain that’s grown in places like Kansas and Texas and is “used for food, animal fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, and biofuels.” Tipster Nick found some of the grain growing in a planter in front of Alice’s Tea Cup on 73rd Street near Columbus Avenue.

Any botanists in the house? Can you confirm?

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Jim
Jim
5 years ago

This is random, but I have some of these growing on my terrace with a few large potted plants. They don’t look awful so I’ve let them be for now.

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Robert Holmes
Robert Holmes
5 years ago

Milo,maize. Livestock feed additive. Also used in Sudan without modification.

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Melanie
Melanie
5 years ago

Sorghum I believe… it’s not unheard of in NY but definitely uncommon!

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JoeShmo
JoeShmo
5 years ago

Blame the European starling

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Daniel Atha
Daniel Atha
5 years ago

Yes, indeed, Westsider. The plant is Sorhgum bicolor, a very important grain from Africa where hundreds of varieties have been developed, each adapted to micro habitats and particular desirable traits like sugar content, storage, etc….

The New York Botanical Garden where I work is cataloging all the wild plants of the City. Observations like this are extremely helpful; as were the Datura sightings. It all gets recorded. We encourage everyone to get the easy-to-use iNaturalist app and help document and conserve our biodiversity. The program also has an astonishingly accurate identifier tool.

You can see below that Sorghum has been observed several times in NYC. It is spread by people casting bird seed containing Sorghum seeds. This is not indigenous to NYC, but it’s not a fearsome invasive either like the very destructive Porcelain Berry.

Sorghum in NYC
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=674&taxon_id=58389

Check out the EcoFlora at https://www.nybg.org/EcoFlora

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Rusty Breedlove
Rusty Breedlove
5 years ago

I’ve bought NY sorghum syrup from local green markets, so it must not be that uncommon.

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Ethan
Ethan
5 years ago

Sorghum . . . such a lovely-sounding word . . . makes me think of going to the dentist. And sorghum is gluten free! Oh glad day!

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Robert again
Robert again
5 years ago

Family, genus,species,or monsantoed?

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West 90th Street JeffS
West 90th Street JeffS
5 years ago

My “picture this” software analyzed it as “grain sorghum.” I screen shot both photos and they both emerged with identical I.D.’s.

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