Temperate coastal southeastern Asia and northern Australasia
Zoysia grass is a species of mat- forming and perennial grass, inherent to temperate coastal southeastern Asia and northern Australasia from Southern Japan, Southern China and Taiwan through Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines to northern Australia and west to Cocos Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. Z. matrella is a warm season grass planted widely as a turf grass in tropical as well as subtropical regions around the world.
Zoysia grass is stoloniferous rhizomous forming low mats which is 3 to 5 cm high when crowded to 10 to 20 cm. Stolons are wiry which is 1 to 1.5 mm diameter, internodes are 1.5 to 3 cm. Sheaths of branch leaves are glabrous and internodes. Leaf blades are linear, long to attenuate measuring (1.5-) 2-3 (-6) cm x ca 1 mm which are finely furrowed and glabrous. An inflorescence is a narrow, cylindric and spike like raceme which are about 1 to 2.5 cm long.
Zoysia grass forms extensive, velvety and green mats which spread vigorously by stolons. This plant prefers sandy soils where other grasses establish poorly. Stems are prostrate and slender which ranges from 5 to 25 in length. Leaves are alternating formed at 1.5 to 3 cm intervals along stem. They are slender measuring 2 to 10 cm long and 1 to 3 mm broad. Flowers are greenish formed on erect racemes measuring 6 to 35 mm long with a single 2-3.5 mm flower in each spikelet.
