Plant · GBIF taxon 2704737
Korean Grass
Zoysia japonicaAlso known as Japanese Lawngrass, Korean Lawngrass, Zoysiagrass
Korean grass spreads by both underground rhizomes and surface stolons, knitting together a tough, dense carpet capable of tolerating heavy foot traffic and drought. It enters winter dormancy as daylight wanes and soil chills, turning a light straw-tan before greening up rapidly with the return of warm spring weather. While prized across temperate and subtropical regions for urban turf, its dense sod can outcompete native shoreline flora where it establishes outside cultivation.
Warm-SeasonTurfgrassPerennial
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Photosynthetic
Predators
- Hunting Billbug
- Fall Armyworm
- Southern Chinch Bug
ThreatsFungal patch diseases, hunting billbug infestation, and extreme cold below minus twenty degrees Celsius
HabitatsCoastal grasslands, sandy shorelines, lawns, parks, and golf courses
Life spanPerennial (indefinite through clonal spread)
Classification
- OrderPoales
- FamilyPoaceae
- GenusZoysia
- SpeciesZoysia japonica
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Turf Identification: Check leaf blades for a stiff texture and hairy ligule to separate it from softer turfgrasses.
- Cultivation Note: Requires sharp mower blades because high silica content rapidly dulls cutting equipment.
Competitor (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Cheng-Tao Lin, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Cheng-Tao Lin · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.