Zoysia is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of creeping grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

es native to southeast

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 and east Asia

East Asia

East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

 (north to China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

) and Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

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

Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...

s. The genus is named after the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n botanist Karl von Zois

Karl von Zois

Karl von Zois zu Laibach was an Austrian amateur botanist and plant collector. Von Zois, described as a "country gentleman", lived in the Carniola region of Austria...

.

Species

• Zoysia japonica Steud.
• Zoysia macrantha Desv.
• Zoysia macrostachya Franch. & Sav.
• Zoysia matrella
  Zoysia matrella
  Zoysia matrella 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 , Taiwan, and southern China south through Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to northern...
  
  (L.) Merr.
• Zoysia minima (Colenso) Zotov
• Zoysia pauciflora Mez
• Zoysia sinica Hance
• Zoysia tenuifolia Willd. ex Thiele

Cultivation and uses

Because they can tolerate wide variations in temperature, sunlight, and water, these grasses are among the most widely used for lawn

Lawn

A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...

s in temperate climates. They are used on golf course

Golf course

A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...

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

Cultivar

A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...

 Zoysia 'Emerald' (Emerald Zoysia

Emerald Zoysia

Emerald Zoysia is a cultivar of Zoysia grass with a thin bladed leaf that forms a very lush lawn. It shares the drought and shade resistance of the other varieties....

; a hybrid between Z. japonica and Z. tenuifolia) is particularly popular.

In subtropical climates of North America, zoysia grass has naturalized in places. For landscape use it is available commercially as sod in some areas. In typical savanna climates (warm wet/dry seasons) such as southern Florida, zoysia grows during the warm-wet summer and is dormant in the drier, cooler winter months. It is popular because of its fine texture and soft feel, and low growth habit. It can form dense mats and even mounds that grow over low features. In contrast to St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustine grass

St. Augustine Grass or Buffalo Grass is a warm season lawn grass that is popular for use in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a medium to high maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpetlike lawn, crowding out most weeds and other grasses.-Characteristics:St...

, it generally requires less fertilization and is less prone to insect and fungus damage, depending on environmental conditions. For best appearance, turf experts recommend reel blade mowers for zoysia.