Turfgrasses of the United States

and the World

by Jacob Miller

The word turgrass is often defined as a recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes clover and other plants, which are maintained at a low, even cut height. Turfgrass is a common feature on all recreational surfaces. This includes: Golf Courses, Sports Fields, Parks, and Personal Lawns.

There are many different varieties of turfgrass in the world. Below are a list and description of each.

Cold Season Turfgrasses

• Poa- Poa is a genus name for nearly 500 species of grasses which include Bluegrass( United States), Medowgrass (from Asia and Europe) , Tussock (from New Zealand), and Speargrass. Poa is both an annual and a perennial and are usually food for larval insects. You may also click on the this link to see a picture of the Poa plant. Kentucky Bluegrass is generally the most common type of grass around the Northern area of the united states. Most golf courses and personal lawns are constructed of this easily maintained grass.

• Agrostis- Agrostis has a genus name with over 100 species of grasses. The main grass in this category is Bentgrass. Bentgrass is a very desirable grass for golf course greens and tees because it is able to handle low mowing heights, allows for good rebound after lots of foot compression damage, and is a very desirable deep green color. Since bentgrass is so versatile there is really no map for this one. Seen below is a bentgrass putting green with a quarter laying on it. It shows the great ability for the grass to be cut short. You may also click the link to see a bengrass plant at full length.

• Ryegrass-Ryegrass is a genus of nine species of tufted grasses. Also called tares, these grasses are native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but are widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere. Ryegrasses contain some species which are important grasses for both lawns, notably at The Championships Wimbledon, and as pasture and hay for livestock, being a highly nutritious stock feed. They are also used in soil erosion control programs. It is the principal grazing grass in New Zealand.

• Bouteloua-Bouteloua is a genus of the grass family, Poaceae. It includes blue grama. Bouteloua derives its name from Claudio Boutelou, a Spaniard who wrote about agriculture. It is very useful for golf courses that want to cut down on tree usage. i.e.- using blue grama as the out of bounds or hazard areas.

Warm Season Grasses

• Zoysia- Zoysia is a genus of eight species of creeping grasses native to southeastern Asia, China and Japan. These species, commonly called zoysia or zoysiagrass, are found in coastal areas or grasslands. The genus is named after the Austrian botanist Karl von Zois. Thanks to their great capacity of tolerating temperature variations, shade, or water scarcity, these grasses are among the best ones for lawns and courts in warm temperate climates. They are used on golf courses to create fairways and teeing areas. These grasses are also very disease resistant and traffic tolerant. Here is a link to a very cool looking lawn made of Zoysia grass.

• Cynodon-(Greek "Dog-tooth")-Cynodon is a genus of nine species of grasses, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the “Old World”. The genus as a whole as well as its species are commonly known as Bermuda Grass or Dog's Tooth Grass. Some species, most commonly C. dactylon, are grown as lawn grasses in warm temperate regions, such as the Sunbelt area of the United States where they are valued for their drought tolerance compared to most other lawn grasses. In some cases it is considered to be a weed; it spreads through lawns and flower beds, where it can be difficult to kill with herbicides without damaging grass or other plants. It is difficult to pull out because the rhizomes and stolons break readily, and then re-grow.

• St. Augustine grass- St. Augustine grass is a warm season lawn grass that is popular for use in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a low to medium maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpet-like lawn, crowding out most weeds and other grasses. St. Augustine is a dark green grass with broad, flat blades. It spreads by above ground rhizomes and forms a dense layer of grass. St. Augustine does not produce a viable seed, so it must be propagated by plugs, sprigs, or sod. St. Augustine is one of the most shade tolerant warm season grasses, thriving beneath partial shade of large trees, shrubs, and structures.

From cold to hot weather grasses there are so many great choices to use. Below is a map of the United States showing the different regions where grasses traditionally grow.

The following pictures are of some of the City owned Fargo golf courses. These courses primarily use bentgrass and Kentucky bluegrass. Although I’m sure there is some ryegrasses and maybe even a few unwanted crab grasses mixed in.

• Listed Repectively: Edgewood, ElZagal, Osgood, Prairiewood, Rose Creek

If you have any questions you can email me: Jake Miller -Sports and Urban Turfgrass Management Major at NDSU

All of this information came off of the Wikipedia online encyclopedia. Also pictures provided by the Fargo Park District.