St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustine Grass
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Tribe:	Paniceae
Genus:	Stenotaphrum
Species:	S. secundatum
Binomial name
Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze

St. Augustine Grass or Buffalo 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 medium to high maintenance grass that forms a thick, carpetlike lawn, crowding out most weeds and other grasses.

Characteristics

Sample of Palmetto St. Augustine with St. Augustine Decline infection.

St. Augustine is a dark green grass with broad, flat blades. It spreads by above ground stolons, commonly known as "runners" and forms a dense layer of grass.

The grass originated in North America,^[1] and it occurs on both sides of the Atlantic ocean,^[2] including much of the southeastern United States, including Texas,^[3][4] Mexico,^[2] and Central and South America.^[2] It has escaped cultivation in California,^[5] many Pacific islands,^[2] and New Zealand.^[2]

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

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.

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.

Varieties

St. Augustine comes in several varieties:

• Captiva^(R). Released in 2008. Developed by the University of Florida for its Chinch bug resistance and dwarf profile which requires less mowing.
• 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.
• Palmetto. Released in 1989. Selected for its shade tolerance and cold tolerance.
• Raleigh. Released 1980. SAD resistant and shade tolerant, but susceptible to chinch bugs.
• Sapphire. Released 2004. Selected from Australia for its dark blue green color and rapid lateral growth.
• Seville. Released 1980. Finer texture than Floratam, but shared Floratam's strengths and weaknesses.
• 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.

References

Notes

1. ^ "Factsheet - Stenotaphrum secundatum". Tropical Forages. http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Stenotaphrum_secundatum.htm. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze, Poaceae". Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). http://www.hear.org/pier/species/stenotaphrum_secundatum.htm. 
3. ^ "St. Augustine grass". Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/node/439. 
4. ^ "Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze". USDA PLANTS. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=STSE. 
5. ^ "Taxon Report 7783". The Calflora Database. http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7783. 

Bibliography

External links

• Growing St. Augustine grass in the garden Horticultural information on the turfgrass
• Stenotaphrum secundatum: St. Augustine grass, pictures of St. Augustine in its native form
• St. Augustine Grass, Texas AgriLife Extension Service
• A Question about St. Augustinegrass Cultivars
• USDA Plants Profile

This Poaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Lawn grasses Poaceae Grasses of Alabama Poaceae stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Charleston Gazette-Mail Charleston Gunners Look at other dictionaries: St. Augustine grass — Taxobox name = St. Augustine Grass image width = 240px regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Liliopsida ordo = Poales familia = Poaceae subfamilia = Panicoideae genus = Stenotaphrum species = S. secundatum binomial = Stenotaphrum… …   Wikipedia saint augustine grass — ˈȯgəˌstēn noun Usage: usually capitalized S&A Etymology: after St. Augustine more at augustinian 1. : a perennial much branched creeping grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) of the southern United States valuable as a sand binder and sod grass called …   Useful english dictionary Saint Augustine grass —       (Stenotaphrum secundatum), low, mat forming perennial grass of the family Poaceae, native to central and southeastern North America and Central America and naturalized along many seacoasts of the world. It is a coarse textured, vigorous… …   Universalium St. Augustine grass — standžialapė ungzdė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Miglinių šeimos pašarinis augalas (Stenotaphrum secundatum), paplitęs Afrikoje ir Šiaurės ir Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Stenotaphrum secundatum angl. buffalo grass; St. Augustine… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas) St. Augustine grass — noun low mat forming grass of southern United States and tropical America; grown as a lawn grass • Syn: ↑Stenotaphrum secundatum, ↑buffalo grass • Hypernyms: ↑grass • Member Holonyms: ↑Stenotaphrum, ↑genus Stenotaphrum …   Useful english dictionary St. Augustine grass — a low, mat forming grass, Stenotaphrum secundatum, of the southern U.S. and tropical America, that is cultivated as a lawn grass. Also called buffalo grass. [1930 35; after ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida] * * * …   Universalium Saint Augustine grass — noun Etymology: probably from Saint Augustine, Florida Date: 1900 a tropical perennial grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) that has much branched creeping stems and is used as a lawn grass and sand binder especially in the southern United States …   New Collegiate Dictionary St. Augustine Decline — Infected grass develops a mottled or stipled appearance with small yellow patches. Affected grass usually dies within a few years of infection.SAD is incurable. A common treatment is to introduce SAD resistant grasses, which will take over as the …   Wikipedia St. Augustine — may refer to:People*St. Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo (354 430), father of the Latin church *St. Augustine of Canterbury or Augustine of Canterbury (d. 604), first Archbishop of Canterbury *St. Augustine Webster or Augustine… …   Wikipedia St. Au|gus|tine grass — « guhs teen», a type of lawn grass used in warm, humid regions. It is propagated by stolons or sprigs. Also, Saint Augustine grass. ╂[< St. Augustine, a city in Florida] …   Useful english dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”