It is, bowever, a valuable livestock feed in many sections of the South. It is not winter hardy in cold climates. Its area of adaptation is roughly the cotton belt. Johnsongrass was brought to this country from Turkey about 1830. Stems are about 0.25 inch in diameter, up to 4 or 5 feet tall.
Leaves are numerous, long and slender.
Growth is very vigorous and 2 or 3 crops of hay may be harvested in a season. It is palatable and nutritious both as hay and as pasture. It may contain small amounts of prussic acid, but rarely enough to poison livestock.