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Every Common Lawn Grass — Identified & Explained

Plain-English guides to the 11 grasses most lawns are made of: the names people actually call them, how to tell them apart, what they need, and how to fix bare spots with the right seed. Know your grass already? Measure your lawn for a free plan built around it.

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In Australia? Your “Buffalo” lawn is St. Augustine grass and “Couch” is Bermuda — both are here.

Cool-Season Grasses

Cool-Season Grasses

Grow hardest in spring and fall and handle cold winters — the lawns of the North and the transition zone.

Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis)

Kentucky Bluegrass

Poa pratensis

Also called Bluegrass, KBG

A soft, dark green cool-season grass that spreads by underground stems, fills in its own thin spots and does best in the northern US.

Mow 2.5–3.5 inRead guide
Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea)

Tall Fescue

Festuca arundinacea

Also called Fescue, Turf-type tall fescue

A tough, deep-rooted cool-season grass with wider blades. It grows in clumps, so thin spots need reseeding instead of filling in.

Mow 3–4 inRead guide
Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Perennial Ryegrass

Lolium perenne

Also called Perennial rye, Ryegrass

A fine, glossy cool-season grass that sprouts in days and handles wear, but grows in clumps and can fade in hot summers or harsh winters.

Mow 2–3 inRead guide
Fine Fescue (Festuca rubra / F. ovina / F. brevipila)

Fine Fescue

Festuca rubra / F. ovina / F. brevipila

Also called Creeping red fescue, Fine-leaf fescue

A group of needle-thin fescues that handle shade, poor soil and low upkeep better than most lawn grasses, but not heavy foot traffic.

Mow 2.5–3.5 inRead guide
Warm-Season Grasses

Warm-Season Grasses

Thrive in summer heat and go dormant in winter — the lawns of the South, the Southwest and warm coasts.

Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon)

Bermuda Grass

Cynodon dactylon

Also called Bermudagrass, Couch (Australia)

A tough, fast-spreading warm-season grass for full sun that takes heavy wear and heat and turns straw-brown in winter.

Mow 1–2 inRead guide
Zoysia Grass (Zoysia japonica)

Zoysia Grass

Zoysia japonica

Also called Zoysiagrass, Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica)

A dense, slow-spreading warm-season grass that feels like thick carpet, handles some shade and turns golden-brown in winter.

Mow 1–2 inRead guide
St. Augustine Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum)

St. Augustine Grass

Stenotaphrum secundatum

Also called St. Augustinegrass, Buffalo grass (Australia)

A broad-bladed, shade-tolerant warm-season grass for the humid South that is planted as sod, plugs or sprigs rather than seed.

Mow 3–4 inRead guide
Centipede Grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides)

Centipede Grass

Eremochloa ophiuroides

Also called Centipedegrass, Lazy man’s grass

A slow-growing, apple-green grass for acidic Southern soils that needs little mowing or fertilizer but will not take heavy traffic.

Mow 1.5–2 inRead guide
Bahia Grass (Paspalum notatum)

Bahia Grass

Paspalum notatum

Also called Bahiagrass, Bahia

A tough, low-input Southern grass for sunny, sandy soil that survives drought but makes an open lawn with tall, V-shaped seedheads all summer.

Mow 3–4 inRead guide
Buffalo Grass (Bouteloua dactyloides)

Buffalo Grass

Bouteloua dactyloides

Also called Buffalograss

A fine-leaved prairie grass native to the Great Plains that needs little water, fertilizer or mowing, but struggles in shade and in humid, rainy climates.

Mow 2–3 inRead guide
Kikuyu Grass (Cenchrus clandestinus)

Kikuyu Grass

Cenchrus clandestinus

Also called Kikuyu, Kikuyugrass

A fast-spreading lawn grass common in Australia and New Zealand that recovers quickly from wear but invades garden beds, and is a noxious weed in the US.

Mow 1–2 inRead guide

Seed for thin spots and overseeding

Match the seed to the grass you already have — each guide above lists the right seed or plugs for that grass.

Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, MeasureLawn earns from qualifying purchases.

Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra
Amazon
Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra
$107.24as of Oct 27, 10:00 AM UTC · may change
View at Amazon →
Pennington Smart Seed Sun & Shade
Amazon
Pennington Smart Seed Sun & Shade
$57.21as of Oct 27, 10:01 AM UTC · may change
View at Amazon →
Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix
Amazon
Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix
$121.69as of Oct 27, 10:00 AM UTC · may change
Newer formula with fertilizer and soil improver
View at Amazon →

Not sure which grass you have?

Snap a close-up of a few blades — our AI names it in seconds and tells you if it's actually a weed. Then get a lawn plan timed for your grass and climate.

Try the Grass IdentifierBrowse the Weed Guide