Zoysia minima
Common names
prickly couch, zoysia
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Grasses
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (south from Auckland and Coromandel), South Island (scattered from Nelson, Marlborough south to Central Otago).
Habitat
Coastal to inland on sand dunes, sandy ground, and gravel. From sea level to 600 m.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Gaimardia minima Colenso
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Propagation technique
Eaasy from rooted pieces. Fresh seed should germinate well. A mat-forming species ideal for high traffic areas such as lawns, and well suited to dry sites and free-draining soils.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available.
Etymology
zoysia: Named for Karl von Zois (or Zoys), 18th century Austrian botanist
minima: Very small
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
ZOYMIN
Chromosome number
2n = 40
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: DP
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened