St. Augustine grass

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St. Augustine Grass

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Genus:	Stenotaphrum
Species:	S. secundatum

Binomial name

Stenotaphrum secundatum
(Walt.) Kuntze

St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) (also known as Charleston Grass in South Carolina) 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, carpetlike lawn, crowding out most weeds and other grasses.

1 Characteristics
2 Planting and propagation
3 Uses
4 Varieties
5 References

[edit] Characteristics

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 is one of the most shade tolerant warm season grasses, thriving beneath partial shade of large trees, shrubs, and structures.

St. Augustine grass is one type of grass that commonly exists in most Caribbean and Mediterranean areas. It breeds best in tropical and subtropical climates. It is often seen in lagoons, marshes, shorelines and wherever there is a good amount of moisture.

[edit] Planting and propagation

Only recently has commercially valuable viable seed for St. Augustine become available, so it has typically been propagated by plugs, sprigs, or sod. Once the grasses are cultivated, then they can propagate on their own.

St. Augustine can grow in a wide range of soil types with 5.0 to 8.5 pH. St. Augustine grasses will be in full bloom between springtime and summer. St Augustine grass produces runners that allow it to grow and spread.

[edit] Uses

St. Augustine grasses are popularly used in pastures and ranches. They are also a popular grass covers for home lawns. It rivals the reputation of Bermuda grass, although St. Augustine grasses are somewhat less drought tolerant.

[edit] Varieties

St. Augustine comes in several varieties:

Texas Common. May be the original St. Augustine. It has fallen out of favor due to its susceptibility to the incurable St. Augustine Decline (SAD) virus.
Floratine. Released 1959. Darker color, finer texture, tolerated lower temperatures and lower mowing.
Floratam. Released 1972. Resists SAD and chinch bugs. Not as cold- or shade-tolerant.
Seville. Released 1980. Finer texture than Floratam, but shared Floratam's strengths and weaknesses.
Raleigh. Released 1980. SAD resistant and shade tolerant, but susceptible to chinch bugs.