Kudzu has appeared larger than life because it’s most aggressive when planted along road cuts and railroad embankments—habitats that became front and center in the age of the automobile. It’s related to five species in the genus Pueraria (P. montana, P. lobata, P. edulis, P. phaseoloides and P. thomsoni). It has large leaves, long racemes with late-blooming reddish purple flowers, and flat, hairy seed pods. Control can be accomplished by persistent applications of effecti We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website.By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Wilson, the American biologist and naturalist at Harvard, says the central Gulf Coast states “harbor the most diversity of any part of eastern North America, and probably any part of North America.” Yet when it comes to environmental and conservation funding, the South remains a poor stepchild. Farmers still couldn’t find a way to make money from the crop. As with most aggressive exotic species, eradication requires persistence in monitoring and thoroughness in treating patches during a multi-year program. Terms of Use The plant was widely marketed as an ornamental plant that would provide shade for porches as well as a high protein content for livestock fodder and as a cover for soil erosion in the 20th century. What helps Kudzu to thrive is its root system that forms very deep in the soil. And how can we stop it?. These roots are hard to dig out completely. Cut the Vines. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. In addition, Kudzu’s large dark green leaves make a picturesque covereing for rough roadbanks and hillsides along Mississippi’s pa… Kudzu thrives through drought and hot temperatures, but continuous removal of all vegetative parts during extreme weather will kill kudzu over time. As you walk closer to the vines you will locate intertwined clusters of them. Kudzu was introduced into the US in 1878 from Japan as a Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and New Orleans in 1883 during an exposition. Invasive roses had covered more than three times as much forestland as kudzu. Kudzu: A Southern Musical toured the country. It cannot be over emphasized that total eradication of kudzu is necessary to prevent re-growth. (Pueraria lobata, or P. thunbergiana), twining perennial vine that is a member of a genus belonging to the family Leguminosae. California Do Not Sell My Info Why is it invasive? Considering all the damage Kudzu plants do, it still has many fans. Unfortunately, it quickly became a problem because of its rapid growth. And how can we stop it?. Kudzu is spreading in the South and control measures are required on large acreages. But they have a unique look that isn’t hard to identify. As a botanist and horticulturist, I couldn’t help but wonder why people thought kudzu was a unique threat when so many other vines grow just as fast in the warm, wet climate of the South. Now that scientists at last are attaching real numbers to the threat of kudzu, it’s becoming clear that most of what people think about kudzu is wrong. Kudzu is spreading in the South and control measures are required on large acreages. As a young naturalist growing up in the Deep South, I feared kudzu. More than 70 million kudzu seedlings were grown in nurseries by the newly created Soil Conservation Service. Introduced from Asia in the late 19th century as a garden novelty, but not widely planted until the 1930s, kudzu is now America’s most infamous weed. The kudzu is a fast-growing, woody, somewhat hairy vine that may grow to a length of 18 m (60 feet) in one season. Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the U.S. It has been spreading rapidly in the southern U.S., "easily outpacing the use of herbicide spraying and mowing, as well increasing the costs of these controls by $6 million annually". Though fascinated by the grape-scented flowers and the purple honey produced by visiting bees, I trembled at the monstrous green forms climbing telephone poles and trees on the edges of our roads and towns. It was an invasive that grew best in the landscape modern Southerners were most familiar with—the roadsides framed in their car windows. Continue Our species profiles include selected highly relevant resources for the species (organized by source), and access to all species related resources included on our site. Control can be accomplished by persistent applications of effecti We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website.By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Estimates of the vine's spread vary, from the United States Forest Service's 2015 estimate of 2,500 acres (1,000 ha - 10 km²) per year to the Dep… Kudzu originally was introduced into the U.S. from Asia in the late 1800s for erosion control and as a livestock forage. Kudzu might have forever remained an obscure front porch ornament had it not been given a boost by one of the most aggressive marketing campaigns in U.S. history. There is a spot of yellow on each stem of flowers. The Latin scientific name for Kudzu, or the kudzu vine, is Pueraria lobata or Pueraria thunbergiana.See the related link(s) listed below for more information: Where did kudzu come from? A writer for Deep South Magazine recently gushed that kudzu is “the ultimate icon for the South...an amazing metaphor for just about every issue you can imagine within Southern Studies.” One blogger, surveying the kudzu-littered literature of the modern South, dryly commented that all you have to do to become a Southern novelist is “throw in a few references to sweet tea and kudzu.”. Kudzu was introduced into gardens in the early 1900s and was later used for forage. In news media and scientific accounts and on some government websites, kudzu is typically said to cover seven million to nine million acres across the United States. Here are a few kudzu bug characteristics: Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. Kudzu was cultivated by civilians who were paid $8 per hour to plant the vine on the top … By 2010 the first signs of kudzu bugs were in Alabama. Each flower is on a separate petiole that connects to the stem. But scientists reassessing kudzu’s spread have found that it’s nothing like that. Still, along Southern roads, the blankets of untouched kudzu create famous spectacles. I found it odd that kudzu had become a global symbol for the dangers of invasive species, yet somehow rarely posed a serious threat to the rich Southern landscapes I was trying to protect as a conservationist. It’s as if many have come to view the Southeast as little more than a kudzu desert. Spray the herbicide onto kudzu in spring when it is most vulnerable after winter dormancy. Though “not terribly worried” about the threat of kudzu, Loewenstein calls it “a good poster child” for the impact of invasive species precisely because it has been so visible to so many. Only vines more than a yard above the ground in full sun will flower in late summer, and few fruiting pods develop viable seeds. Kudzu is native to Asia, particularly China, Japan and Korea, and has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries. 7: 165-169. It cannot be over emphasized that total eradication of kudzu is necessary to prevent re-growth. Plant Control:Mature patches of Kudzu can be difficult to contain let alone control. In the decades that followed kudzu’s formal introduction at the 1876 World’s Fair Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, farmers found little use for a vine that could take years to establish, was nearly impossible to harvest and couldn’t tolerate sustained grazing by horses or cattle. Privacy Statement Like most Southern children, I accepted, almost as a matter of faith, that kudzu grew a mile a minute and that its spread was unstoppable. As with most aggressive exotic species, eradication requires persistence in monitoring and thoroughness in treating patches during a multi-year program. In 1998, Congress officially listed kudzu under the Federal Noxious Weed Act. 1983. 7: 165-169. Charles and Lillie Pleas were like many homesteaders when they dropped kudzu around their house in Chipley, Fla., in the early 1900s, … Kudzu is a perennial climbing vine native to eastern Asia that was recently found in Leamington, Ontario. Two popular how-to books, one a kudzu craft book and the other a “culinary and healing guide,” are, strangely, among the most frequently quoted sources on the extent of kudzu’s spread, even in scholarly accounts. The plant was first brought to North America in 1876 to landscape a garden at the United States Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were first sighted in Georgia in 2009 and are suspected to originate from Asia. Accessed 2006 Aug 21. http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic. They were half way across the world in Asia, their native region. Citation: Miller, James H.; Edwards, Boyd. Considering all the damage Kudzu plants do, it still has many fans. Revegetation of sites following treatment is an important last step to ensure that any residual kudzu does not reestablish. Kudzu has the ability to cycle nitrogen through the soil and the air at a rate higher than many other plants, and research has found that nitrogen rates are higher in areas where kudzu is plentiful. Kudzu is a perennial vine hailing from the pea family. Kudzu definition is - a fast-growing Asian vine (Pueraria lobata) of the legume family that is used for forage and erosion control and is often a serious weed in the southeastern U.S.. It was introduced to southerners at the New Orleans (Louisiana) Exposition in 1884-86. It was planted with the idea that it could be a solution for soil erosion, but its aggressive spread has proven to be a growing problem rather than an ecological solution, and it's considered an invasive species in the South. They have alternate and compound leaves, with three wide leaflets with hairy margins. In places where it was once relatively easy to get a photograph of kudzu, the bug-infested vines are so crippled they can’t keep up with the other roadside weeds. (Pueraria lobata, or P. thunbergiana), twining perennial vine that is a member of a genus belonging to the family Leguminosae. By way of comparison, the same report estimates that Asian privet had invaded some 3.2 million acres—14 times kudzu’s territory. They have alternate and compound leaves, with three wide leaflets with hairy margins. Habitat: Kudzu is commonly found in disturbed areas such as roadsides, and prefers sandy areas with mild winters and hot summers. Kudzu - or kuzu (クズ) - is native to Japan and southeast China. In the 1930s and 40s, with the country in the throes of the Great Depression and aftermath of the Dust Bowl, kudzu … The official hype has also led to various other questionable claims—that kudzu could be a valuable source of biofuel and that it has contributed substantially to ozone pollution. Repeated applications are usually required to kill every root crown. What Are Kudzu Bugs and Where the Heck Did They Come From. But somehow they hopped a ride across an ocean and ended up in Georgia in 2009. And because it looked as if it covered everything in sight, few people realized that the vine often fizzled out just behind that roadside screen of green. Even existing stands of kudzu now exude the odor of their own demise, an acrid sweetness reminiscent of grape bubble gum and stink bug. Cultivated in Japan for centuries, kudzu first appeared in the United States in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition's Japanese Pavilion. Finch says the figure of 9 million acres appears to have come from a small … Charles and Lillie Pleas were like many homesteaders when they dropped kudzu around their house in Chipley, Fla., in the early 1900s, seeking low … According to research published in 2010 (Hickman et al. 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