Genus species |
English common name |
Use |
Class comments |
Subfamily Festucoideae: cool season |
Agrostis palustris |
creeping bentgrass |
High density, highest intensity use (putting greens,
overseeding); stoloniferous, thus prone to thatch; disease prone. |
|
Festuca arundinacea |
tall fescue |
Low maintenance bunch grass, competitive for transition zone
and southern regions of cool season zone. Considered a lower water use alternative to
Kentucky bluegrass. |
|
Festuca rubra, etc. |
fine fescues (creeping red, Chewings); also hard, sheep
|
Low maintenance, high density, nonaggressive grasses for low
fertility soils, excellent shade tolerance. |
|
Lolium perenne |
perennial ryegrass |
Fast establishing bunch species with poor heat tolerance for
general use turf, overseeding. A companion species, annual ryegrass is often used for
quick cover on southeastern highway jobs. |
|
Poa pratensis |
Kentucky bluegrass |
Rhizomatous, long-lived, cold-tolerant perennial for general
use turf (lawns, fairways). It is the most widely used cool-season turfgrass. Species goes
dormant in summer. |
|
Subfamily Eragrastoideae: warm season, dry climate |
Buchloe dactyloides |
buffalograss |
Extremely drought avoidant turf for western United States;
slow establishment; susceptible to weed invasion. |
|
Cynodon dactylon |
common bermudagrass |
Most rapid growing, highly recuperative warm-season grass for
high intensity use (athletic fields, golf courses); suitable for lawns in heavier soils.
Interspecific hybrids important. |
|
Zoysia japonica |
Japanese lawngrass |
Intermediate maintenance intensity grass for use in transition
zone and in coastal areas; slow establishment. Other species and their hybrids exist.
|
|
Subfamily Panicoideae: warm season, moist climate |
Axonopus affinis |
carpetgrass |
Low maintenance, poorly competitive species; prefers wet
habitats and heavy soils |
|
Eremochloa ophiurioides |
centipedegrass |
Low fertility requiring, low growing, hard-to-establish
species; grows best on heavy soils (some say acidic). |
|
Paspalum notatum |
bahiagrass |
Most highly drought avoidant warm-season species; growth is
rank and seedy; salt and shade tolerance are poor. |
|
Stenotaphrum secundatum |
St. Augustinegrass |
Shade tolerant, coarse-textured stoloniferous species for
lawns in Florida and gulf coastal areas; fair wear tolerance; wide range of pH tolerance.
|
|