Zoysia was introduced into the U.S. from Southeast Asia in 1911. A warm season perennial, it spreads by creeping stolons and rhizomes. The leaf blades are much stiffer than those of other warm season grasses. The improved zoysia grasses must be established from sprigs or sod. Zoysia turns brown after the first hard frost, but is among the first grasses to green up in the spring.
Zoysia has moderate shade tolerance, good drought tolerance and excellent wear tolerance.
However, zoysia is very slow to establish form sprigs or plugs. Major varieties of zoysia for turf use are Meyer and Emerald. Meyer is a coarse textured variety used for lawns. Emerald is a medium textured grass used for lawns and golf courses. Z. tenuifolia is a very fine textured variety used primarily as a ground cover for landscape areas that are difficult to mow.