Kudzu is known by the scientific name Pueraria lobata or as Pueraria thunbergiana depending on what reference you happen to be reading. It is in the bean family known as FABACEAE or LEGUMINOSAE.
For a great story about Kudzu see the Amazing Story of Kudzu.
Kudzu was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the U.S. The Japanese government constructed a beautiful garden filled with plants from their country. The large leaves and sweet_smelling blooms of kudzu captured the imagination of American gardeners who used the plant for ornamental purposes.
Florida nursery operators, Charles and Lillie Pleas, discovered that animals would eat the plant and promoted its use for forage in the 1920s and lead to the Glen Arden Nursery in Chipley selling kudzu plants through the mail.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Soil Conservation Service promoted kudzu for erosion control. Hundreds of young men were given work planting kudzu through the Civilian Conservation Corps. Farmers were paid as much as eight dollars an acre as incentive to plant fields of the vines in the 1940s.
The problem with Kudzu is that it grows too well! The climate of the Southeastern U.S. is perfect for kudzu. The vines grow as much as a foot per day during summer months, climbing trees, power poles, and anything else they contact. Under ideal conditions kudzu vines can grow sixty feet each year. Kudzu over a period of several years will kill trees by blocking the sunlight.
Common names for kudzu include:
mile_a_minute vine,
foot_a_night vine,
and the vine that ate the South.
Kudzu vines can also destroy valuable forests by preventing trees from getting sunlight. Dr. James H. Miller of the U.S. Forest Service in Auburn, Alabama said that in eighteen years of research, he has found one herbicide that actually makes kudzu grow better while many have little effect. Even effective herbicide treatments must be repeated for at least four years, but some kudzu plants may take as long as ten years to kill, even with the most effective herbicides.
However, when Kudzu is growing on a river bank you can not even try to control it with herbicides because of the danger of runoff into the public water supply.
Angora goats can be raised in fields of kudzu which would otherwise be considered wasted land. The goats keep the kudzu from spreading further while producing profitable milk and wool products. Constant grazing will eventually eradicate kudzu. If kudzu is to provide a continuing food source, animals must be removed from the fields occasionally to allow the vines time to grow. This sounds great but would also be difficult to do on a very steep river bank.
Kudzu is perennial which means it lives and produces flowers and seed for many years. It is deciduous which means it will lose its leaves in winter after a killing frost. Roots develop at nodes in contact with the soil and then these nodes develop into a root crown with many buds capable of growing into new vines. Roots at established crowns may be several inches in diameter and may grow to a depth of three or more feet.
For more about Kudzu control see Controlling Kudzu in CPR Stands.
Kudzu can be beautiful but it is also a noxious, invasive, alien weed which is a threat to any environment it happens to be growing in.
Visit Columbus, Texas with me and have a look at the amazing Texas Kudzu.
(There are 25 images of our visit. Please click on the BACK button in your browser to get back to the list.)
Marvelous Kudzu Sculptures
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You can barely see the river below !
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A thinner stand
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A Closer view of the leaves.
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Look close and see flowers in the clusters of vines. Flowers do not typically develop on vines crawling along the ground. Vines need to have climbed three or more feet above the base before they will begin to flower.
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A close up view of the flower.
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Round-UP (glyphosate) was sprayed at the edge of the lawn and the river bank slope. You see all other vegetation dying except the kudzu. The Kudzu just turns yellow for a while and then recovers to grow some more.
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See Sites below for additional information:
(Please click on the BACK button to return to this page.)
Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas. Kudzu is not the only BAD weed we have. Always be on the out-look for others aggressive alien weeds.
Kudzu the vine This article contains many photos of Barns, Equipment, Sculptures, and Flowers all covered with Kudzu. Do we want Texas to look like this ?
The Amazing Story of Kudzu Love It, Or Hate It . . . It Grows On You! This is a very good site with a lot of varied information. It also links to a site offering a video about Kudzu for sell from the University of Alabama.
Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) _ Description of the plant, its distribution, the ecological threat it poses, and suggested management techniques. From the Plant Conservation Alliance. Information from North Carolina and Alabama.
Kudzu - Covering Dixie Like the Dew _ Humorous site features folk tales, growing tips and recipes. This has some good humorous advice on how to grow kudzu.
Exotic Invasive Kudzu _ Description, suggestions for control.
Kudzu Management Project _ Photographs and description of a successful kudzu_removal project.
Kudzu Fact Sheet - Concise description of kudzu and recommended controls, from the Virginia Natural Heritage Program.
Chad's Kudzu World This site has some interesting links that I may not include.
Kudzu in folk medicine _ Kudzu contains ingredients known to lower blood pressure and improve circulation in the muscles of the heart. It shows promise as a treatment for alcoholism, as well.
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If you see this plant or if you need further information please contact one of the following:
Pesticide Safety Education, TAEX
115 Agronomy Field Lab, 2488 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-2488
Phone 979-845-6531
FAX 979-845-6251
E-mail: m-ketchersid@tamu.edu
Herbarium Botanist, TAMU Biology Department
TAMU Herbarium, 3258 TAMU, 009 Eugene Butler Hall, College Station, Texas 77843-3258
Phone 979-845-8650
FAX
E-mail: monique@mail.bio.tamu.edu