KUDZU  

Common names:    

Kudzu, Kudzu Vine, Mile-a-minute Vine, Foot-a-night Vine, Miracle Vine, The Vine that Ate the South, Porch Vine, Telephone Vine, Wonder Vine.  

Scientific  name:         Pueraria lobata  

Explanation of scientific name:        

One of the common names of Kudzu, The Vine that Ate the South, just about says it all.  This amazing yet often despised species covers over 7 million acres of the Southeastern US in a dense tangle of vines that scramble up and over anything that doesn’t move out of its way.  It readily out-competes the native vegetation, and seriously disrupts the ecosystems in which it is found.  How did this aggressive weed become so widespread?  Unfortunately, we can only blame ourselves because we imported the plant on purpose, and planted tens of millions of its seedlings throughout the South. Kudzu thrived in its new home and the rest, as they say, is history.

Kudzu’s history in the US began in 1876 at the Japanese Pavilion of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.  The Pavilion was covered in part with a vigorous vine bearing fragrant violet-purple flowers.  Many who saw this newly introduced Asian native admired its beauty.  Since it was not hardy in areas with extremely cold winters, Kudzu became popular only in the South, where people first planted it around porches. The quick growing vine provided screening and pleasant–scented blooms.  By the early 20^th century, botanists were noting the potential invasiveness of the species, but few took heed.  Kudzu was seen as a soil-saving plant in the South, where much of the land was historically devastated by the over-cultivation of cotton and tobacco.  Soil conservation was becoming a concern, and by the 1930’s the US Soil Conservation Service was a strong advocate of Kudzu.  Their research had determined that the species could control erosion, improve soil quality because of its nitrogen-fixing capabilities, and even be harvested as cattle feed.  The government paid Depression-poor farmers $8.00 an acre to plant it and the Civilian Conservation Corps planted 73 million Kudzu seedlings along roadways and other disturbed sites.  By the 1940’s Kudzu Clubs formed to honor what was becoming known as the Miracle Vine.  Memberships in the South exceeded 20,000, and 3 million acres of farmland were planted with Kudzu by 1946.

As Kudzu began to proliferate, the federal government realized that it may have created a problem and took action.  In the 1950’s Kudzu was removed from the government’s list of recommended cover crops.  In the 1960’s research began to focus on how to eradicate the species.  In 1970 Kudzu was officially declared a “weed”, and in 1997 its status was upgraded to “noxious weed”.  Kudzu continues to spread. In 2000 it was discovered growing wild in Oregon, the first infestation of Kudzu west of Texas.  It remains to be seen how far it will range.  In NJ our cold climate kills the vines down to the ground most winters, slowing its progression.  The thick woody roots survive, however, and the plants re-sprout in the spring.  In Summit, NJ a patch of Kudzu thrives on a hillside at Reeves-Reed Arboretum, and has been there for at least several decades.  No one seems to know how it got started.    

Aside from its aggressive growth of a foot a day and up to 60 feet per year, Kudzu can be an intriguing plant.  As a member of the bean family of plants, it has much in common with garden beans and peas.  The leaves consist of 3 occasionally lobed leaflets, each up to 6 inches in length.  The leaves have a rough, hairy surface, as do the slender, twining stems.  Wisteria-like flowers appear in dense clusters in mid-summer, especially on plants that have climbed up something.  They have a grape-like fragrance, a violet-purple color, and are about ¾ inch long.  They are followed by flat, hairy seedpods up to 4 inches in length. Kudzu roots can grow 12 feet deep, and the tuberous roots in older patches can weigh hundreds of pounds.  

Controlling Kudzu is no easy task.  Frequent mowing or grazing can suppress this tenacious weed, and the repeated use of chemical herbicides can kill it.  A biological control agent, the Sicklepod Fungus (Myrothecium verrucaria), has shown promise and is currently being evaluated.

Besides its use in soil conservation, people have found other ways to utilize Kudzu.  In China and Japan it has been prized for over 2000 years as a medicinal plant for a number of ailments, and its starchy roots are ground into flour for baked goods.  Today in the US the vines are woven into baskets or used in papermaking. The leaves are deep-fried and eaten or incorporated into quiches.  The blossoms are turned into jellies and syrups.  Researchers at the Harvard University Medical School have extracted daidzin and puerarin from Kudzu, and believe these active ingredients could be useful in treating alcoholism.