''Zoysia'' (;"Zoysia."
entry at CollinsDictionary.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021. , -, -, -) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of creeping

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

es widespread across much of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, as well as various islands in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. These species, commonly called zoysia or zoysiagrass, are found in coastal areas or

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s. It is a popular choice for fairways and teeing areas at golf courses. The genus is named after the

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Karl von Zois Karl von Zois zu Laibach (18 November 1756 – 29 October 1799) was a Carniolan amateur botanist and plant collector. Von Zois was described as a "country gentleman". He is best known today as the namesake of zoysiagrass, which was named by Car ...

(1756–1799).

Species

SourceKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> * ''

Zoysia × forbesiana ''Zoysia'' (;"Zoysia."
entry at CollinsDictionary.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021. , -, ...

'' Traub -

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

- ''(Z. japonica × Z. matrella)'' * ''

Zoysia × hondana ''Zoysia'' (;"Zoysia."
entry at CollinsDictionary.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021. , -, ...

'' Ohwi -

- ''(Z. japonica × Z. macrostachya)'' * ''

Zoysia japonica ''Zoysia japonica'' (commonly known as Korean lawngrass, zoysia grass or Japanese lawngrass) is a species of creeping, mat-forming, short perennial grass that grows by both rhizomes and stolons. It is native to the coastal grasslands of southeast ...

'' Steud. - zenith zoysia, Korean lawngrass -

(incl Bonin Is),

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Primorye Primorsky Krai (russian: Приморский край, r=Primorsky kray, p=prʲɪˈmorskʲɪj kraj), informally known as Primorye (, ), is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia, located in the Far East region of the country and is a part of t ...

; naturalized in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, etc. * ''

Zoysia macrantha ''Zoysia macrantha'', the prickly couch, is a type of grass. It is a creeping perennial plant found near the coastal dunes and inland salt marsh habitats in South Eastern Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, ...

'' Desv. -

* ''

Zoysia macrostachya ''Zoysia'' (;"Zoysia."
entry at CollinsDictionary.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021. , -, ...

, eastern

america The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Ryukyu Is * ''

Zoysia matrella ''Zoysia matrella'' (L.) Merr., commonly known as Manila grass, is a species of mat-forming, perennial grass native to temperate coastal southeastern Asia and northern Australasia, from southern Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Taiwan, and southern China ...

'' (L.) Merr. -

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

; naturalized in parts of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, and assorted oceanic islands * ''

Zoysia minima ''Zoysia'' (;"Zoysia."
entry at CollinsDictionary.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021. , -, ...

'' (Colenso) Zotov -

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

* ''

Zoysia pauciflora ''Zoysia'' (;"Zoysia."
entry at CollinsDictionary.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021. , -, ...

'' Mez -

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

* '' Zoysia seslerioides'' (Balansa) Clayton & F.R.Richardson -

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

* '' Zoysia sinica'' Hance

, eastern

, Ryukyu Is * '' Zoysia tenuifolia'' Thiele - mascarene grass, Korean velvet grass

Cultivation and uses

Because they can tolerate wide variations in temperature, sunlight, and water, zoysia are widely used for

lawn A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...

s in temperate climates. They are used on

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

s to create fairways and teeing areas. Zoysia grasses stop erosion on slopes, and are excellent at repelling weeds throughout the year. They resist disease and hold up well under traffic. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

''Zoysia'' 'Emerald' ( Emerald Zoysia), a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

between ''Z. japonica'' and ''Z. tenuifolia'', is particularly popular. Some types of zoysia are available commercially as sod in some areas. In typical savanna climates with warm wet and dry seasons, such as southern Florida, zoysia grasses grow during the warm-wet summer and are dormant in the drier, cooler winter months. They are popular because of their fine texture, soft feel, and low growth habit. They can form dense mats and even mounds that grow over low features. In contrast to

St. Augustine grass St. Augustine grass (''Stenotaphrum secundatum''), also known as buffalo turf in Australia and buffalo grass in South Africa, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is a warm-season lawn grass that is popular for cultivation in tropical ...

, they generally require less fertilization and are less vulnerable to insect and fungus damage, depending on environmental conditions. Zoysia is a native of Japan and Korea and makes a cushion-like surface/turf. Its water requirement is high. It grows slowly and frequent mowing is not required. For best appearance, turf experts recommend reel blade mowers for zoysia.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1205244 Grasses of Asia Grasses of Oceania Lawn grasses Groundcovers Poaceae genera