Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr.

Manila Temple Grass; Manila Grass; Zoysia

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Zoysia is an introduced herbaceous perennial in the grass family. It is native to temperate areas of coastal Asia from southern Japan south to northern Australia. It Alabama it has been found in the southern half of the state. Zoysia is frequently planted as a lawn grass and has escaped to roadsides, vacant lots, and cemeteries. It is a rhizomatous, mat-forming species growing 1-5 inches in height. Some culm internodes on each plant are longer than ½ inch. The leaf sheath is glabrous. Blades are up to 2 ¾ inches in length, linear in outline, entire, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, and weakly to strongly involute or convolute. Flowers are produced in spikes. The spikes exceed the leaves. The spikes are purple-red in color and have 10-40 spikelets. The fruit is a grain that lacks an awn or has one to 1 mm in length. Several cultivars and hybrids of Zoysia have been developed that can make identification difficult. Zoysia forms dense mats that exclude other plant species. It is also allelopathic, producing chemical that inhibit the germination or growth of other plants.—A. Diamond

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Not Native

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