St. Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum · Warm-season, Perennial, C4 grass
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Grass Category
Lawn/Turf Grass
Hardiness Zones
Thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10, sensitive to heavy frost and prolonged freezing temperatures.
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Variety / Cultivar
Floratam
About This Grass
Coarse-textured, dense lawn grass with a blue-green to dark green color. Forms a thick sod through fast-growing stolons. Unmowed height reaches 6 to 12 inches, featuring distinct flattened stems and spike-like seed heads.
Blade Characteristics
Blades are broad (greater than 5mm), flat, with blunt, rounded tips. Rolled in the bud (vernation), with a short membranous ligule fringed with hairs, and lacking auricles.
Root System
Moderately deep fibrous root system originating from stolon nodes. Establishes relatively quickly from sod or plugs, moderate to high thatch tendency, excellent wear recovery via stolons.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Native to tropical regions along the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean; widely cultivated in the southern United States and tropical climates worldwide.
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous with aggressive above-ground runners, forming a coarse, dense turf mat.
Sunlight & Water Needs
Requires full sun to partial shade (more shade-tolerant than most warm-season grasses); needs regular watering and moderate irrigation to maintain green color; moderate to good drought tolerance by entering dormancy.
Mowing & Maintenance
Mow at 2.5 to 3.5 inches high using rotary mowers; medium to high maintenance level; requires regular fertilization (2-4 lbs N per 1000 sq ft annually) and occasional dethatching.
Special Characteristics
Moderate traffic tolerance, susceptible to chinch bugs and take-all root rot, good salt tolerance, excellent shade tolerance for a warm-season grass, poor cold tolerance.
Ecological Information
Introduced and naturalized in many coastal subtropical regions; provides ground cover and erosion control; low wildlife food value compared to native prairie grasses; often grown as a monoculture lawn.