Zoyzia grass is grown in the warm seasons and is native to Japan, China and also in other Southeast Asia parts. This species of grass was named to honor Karl von Zois, who was an Austrian botanist in the 18 century. Zoysiagrass was introduced by C.V Piper, a U.S.D.A botanist, into the USA from Manila. The origin of the grass gave it its name in the US, Manila grass.

C.V Piper described Zoysiagrass as plentiful near or on seashore in the Philippines. When Zoysiagrass (Zoysia grass) is closely clipped - this was described according to Piper’s notes – it is just beautiful. C.V Piper also suggested that Zoysiagrass had somewhat unusual promise compared to other lawn grass grown along Florida’s Atlantic coast and the Gulf Coast.

Zoysiagrasses are known to be sod-forming species that possess rhizomes and stolons. In the winter Zoysiagrass turns brown and are among the first grasses to turn green in spring. Zoysiagrass varies from a fine texture to a coarse texture. The grass blades can be very stiff because of the high content of silica.

Zoysiagrasses are a versatile species and they make ideal lawns in many situations. The great thing is that Zoysiagrasses make great golf courses, athletic fields and parks. The great things about this species of grass are that they can grow in many different soils ranging from clays to sands, even if these soils have an alkaline and acid reaction. In the United States, zoysiagrasses can be found all along the Connecticut to Florida coast.

In the Southern parts of the United States this species of grass grows quite well in shaded locations. Zoysiagrasses don’t perform very well in shaded areas compared to other species in cool climates.

Zoysiagrass is also known to be drought tolerant. It turns kind of straw-like under drought conditions, but it also has the ability to respond to rainfall and irrigation. The amount of water it requires is similar to the amount of water the bermudagrass requires. The grass blades of zoysiagrass are among the first grass that rolls up in drought conditions. This species of grass also has a root system that is rather deep, and this allows the roots of the grass to extract water from soil depths.

Another thing the zoysiagrass has in common with bermudagrass is the fact that they are both salt tolerant. These grasses grow wildly along seashores especially where drainage is barely enough. Zoysiagrass has a very slow growth-rate, thus making their recuperative potential poor. This makes them ideal for lawns, baseball fields and golf courses. This type of grass is not recommended for soccer and football fields, because certain areas concentrate on a lot of traffic. Once grass wears out in these areas, zoysiagrass is the one grass that is extremely slow when it comes to repairing the damages.

There are 3 species of zoysia grass that are used on the turf: zoysia japonica, zoysia tenuifolia, and zoysia matrella. These three types are different when it comes to cold tolerance, texture and aggressiveness.