St. Augustine grass is a commonly used grass in S. United States because of its hardiness. It's quite resilient, I use it in my lawn, because it doesn't need to be babied like other types of grass. And yes, I did plant this type, while one of my neighbors used another, totally wimpy breed. I've seen the same type being used commonly in California, even though it is not native to that area either (I think). I'm no botanist however.