Kudzu, an invasive vine that is spreading across the southeastern United States and northward, is a major contributor to large-scale increases of the pollutant surface ozone, according to a … Kudzu: A Southern Musical toured the country. 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. The kudzu is a fast-growing, woody, somewhat hairy vine that may grow to a length of 18 m (60 feet) in one season. “If you based it on what you saw on the road, you’d say, dang, this is everywhere,” said Nancy Loewenstein, an invasive plants specialist with Auburn University. Revegetation of sites following treatment is an important last step to ensure that any residual kudzu does not reestablish. The hype didn’t come out of nowhere. For many, the vivid depictions of kudzu had simply become the defining imagery of the landscape, just as palms might represent Florida or cactus Arizona. Look for trifoliate leaves, or formations with 3 leaflets attached at each node. Keep up-to-date on: © 2020 Smithsonian Magazine. Kudzu is a perennial vine hailing from the pea family. Spray the herbicide onto kudzu in spring when it is most vulnerable after winter dormancy. All land owners in an infestation area must coopera… Kudzu sat dormant for several years as a game design document that I told myself I’d someday get to (an early version of Max can be found in the lower-left corner of … Kudzu is spreading in the South and control measures are required on large acreages. 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. All 3 leaves will be … Kudzu is spreading in the South and control measures are required on large acreages. Its introduction has produced devastating environmental consequences. Those roadside plantings—isolated from grazing, impractical to manage, their shoots shimmying up the trunks of second-growth trees—looked like monsters. 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. The Japanese kudzu bug, first found in a garden near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport six years ago, apparently hitched a plane ride and is now infesting vines throughout the South, sucking the plants’ vital juices. Now there’s a cottage industry of kudzu-branded literary reviews and literary festivals, memoirs, cartoon strips and events. In Asia kudzu serves as one of the favorite hosts for many species of insects including the nefarious kudzu bug and, until recently, careful inspections and lady luck barred entry of this insect to North America. As you walk closer to the vines you will locate intertwined clusters of them. Present: AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MO, MD, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV For a CAPS/CERIS/USDA map of past/presen… By the early 1950s, the Soil Conservation Service was quietly back-pedaling on its big kudzu push. Kudzu was introduced into gardens in the early 1900s and was later used for forage. And how can we stop it?. Kudzu: Where did it come from? The vine densely climbs over other plants and trees and grows so rapidly that it smothers and kills them by heavily blocking sunlight. Conservation biologists are taking a closer look at the natural riches of the Southeastern United States, and they describe it as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, in many ways on par with tropical forests. The Kudzu vine can grow up to 12 feet in a day and is not slowed down by poor conditions. More important, it obscures the beauty of the South’s original landscape, reducing its rich diversity to a simplistic metaphor. “The Vine that ate the South” is no longer just a southern problem either. The miraculous vine that might have saved the South had become, in the eyes of many, a notorious vine bound to consume it. Our obsession with the vine hides the South. While you can find kudzu vine almost anywhere in the South by taking a drive on a country road, kudzu root is probably most popular by way of a supplement or as kudzu root tea that can be found at most health fo… I’m not sure when I first began to doubt. Today, it frequently appears on popular top-ten lists of invasive species. By 1900 kudzu was available through mail order and sold mainly as an inexpensive livestock forage. It was an invasive that grew best in the landscape modern Southerners were most familiar with—the roadsides framed in their car windows. Introduced in the late nineteenth century from Asia, it now covers more than a quarter million acres in Alabama and more than seven million acres in other southeastern states, swallowing up abandoned buildings and farms. Kudzu: Where did it come from? It is also native to the south Pacific region, including Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. As with most aggressive exotic species, eradication requires persistence in monitoring and thoroughness in treating patches during a multi-year program. The more I investigate, the more I recognize that kudzu’s place in the popular imagination reveals as much about the power of American mythmaking, and the distorted way we see the natural world, as it does about the vine’s threat to the countryside. Uses for Kudzu Plants. They have alternate and compound leaves, with three wide leaflets with hairy margins. The U.S. government did its best to spread kudzu throughout the South. The tender nature of kudzu leaves and the large tuber roots make kudzu difficult to control. Kudzu Flower Photo: The vine produces a long stem of beautiful purple to redish-purple flowers. http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic. Some discovered a kind of perverse pleasure in its rank growth, as it promised to engulf the abandoned farms, houses and junkyards people couldn’t bear to look at anymore. Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the U.S. Some of these weed treatments require that you dilute the chemicals with water. All land owners in an infestation area must coopera… The plants are in the genus Pueraria, in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. 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. Considering all the damage Kudzu plants do, it still has many fans. Kudzu monocultures typically contain thousands of individual plants per acre . Currently they have spread through several southeastern states, including North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Still, along Southern roads, the blankets of untouched kudzu create famous spectacles. Only vines more than a yard above the ground in full sun will flower in late summer, and few fruiting pods develop viable seeds. It cannot be over emphasized that total eradication of kudzu is necessary to prevent re-growth. In the latest careful sampling, the U.S. Forest Service reports that kudzu occupies, to some degree, about 227,000 acres of forestland, an area about the size of a small county and about one-sixth the size of Atlanta. l… 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. So if the all-consuming-kudzu myth is wrong, where did it come from? And though many sources continue to repeat the unsupported claim that kudzu is spreading at the rate of 150,000 acres a year—an area larger than most major American cities—the Forest Service expects an increase of no more than 2,500 acres a year. It was first introduced to the United States during the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 where it was touted as a great ornamental plant for its sweet-smelling blooms and sturdy vines. This process is ongoing, so repeat yearly until the kudzu plant dies. The myth of kudzu has indeed swallowed the South, but the actual vine’s grip is far more tenuous. As you walk closer to the vines you will locate intertwined clusters of them. Though William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and others in that first great generation of Southern writers largely ignored kudzu, its metaphorical attraction became irresistible by the early 1960s. Kudzu ( Pueraria lobata) is an invasive vine that was introduced to the U.S. from Japan and distributed throughout the South for erosion control. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. 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. 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. In 1998, Congress officially listed kudzu under the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Plant Control:Mature patches of Kudzu can be difficult to contain let alone control. Origin and Distribution A native of Asia, kudzu was introduced into the United States at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. 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. Nothing seems to stop it. Considering all the damage Kudzu plants do, it still has many fans. These roots are hard to dig out completely. E.O. Before you start swatting, check out our guide to kudzu bugs and the best practices for controlling them. 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 came from Japan.kudzu was brought over from Japan to prevent erosion during WWII. There is a spot of yellow on each stem of flowers. Terms of Use Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is an invasive vine that was introduced to the U.S. from Japan and distributed throughout the South for erosion control. K Britton/USDA FS (right) Look for trifoliate leaves, or formations with 3 leaflets attached at each node. Kudzu - or kuzu (クズ) - is native to Japan and southeast China. In the decades that followed, the plant's coverage expanded dramatically, consuming fields and forests throughout the region, while becoming a cultural touchstone for generations of southerners. Repeated applications are usually required to kill every root crown. The Kudzu vine can grow up to 12 feet in a day and is not slowed down by poor conditions. There were kudzu queens and regionwide kudzu planting contests. Kudzu is an ongoing natural disaster that defies containment. What helps Kudzu to thrive is its root system that forms very deep in the soil. Cookie Policy Here are a few kudzu bug characteristics: These bugs got busy right away laying eggs and migrating out farther across the south. There is a spot of yellow on each stem of flowers. By 2010 the first signs of kudzu bugs were in Alabama. He was, as cultural geographer Derek Alderman suggests, an evangelist. In the 1930s and 40s, with the country in the throes of the Great Depression and aftermath of the Dust Bowl, kudzu … Kudzu was introduced from Japan to the United States at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 as an ornamental and a forage crop plant. It is also native to the south Pacific region, including Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Kudzu can be controlled with glyphosate but it may take several years of … 7: 165-169. When you attempt to hand-pull or dig out th… A native of Asia with many culinary and medicinal uses in the East, kudzu was introduced to America in large part in order to fight soil erosion. Vote Now! of Georgia (left) This has earned it the nickname "the vine that ate the South". Kudzu can be controlled with glyphosate but it may take several years of … Kudzu is most prolific in areas where winters are mild (40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (4-16 °C)), summer temperatures rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 °C), the growing season is long, and annual precipitation is > 40 inches (1,000 mm) [51,66]. 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. Provides kudzu resources from sources with an interest in the prevention, control, or eradication of invasive species. The kudzu is a fast-growing, woody, somewhat hairy vine that may grow to a length of 18 m (60 feet) in one season. Bill Finch is the lead horticulture and science advisor to the Mobile Botanical Gardens in Alabama. By 1945, only a little more than a million acres had been planted, and much of it was quickly grazed out or plowed under after federal payments stopped. The widely cited nine-million-acre number appears to have been plucked from a small garden club publication, not exactly the kind of source you expect a federal agency or academic journal to rely on. It’s related to five species in the genus Pueraria (P. montana, P. lobata, P. edulis, P. phaseoloides and P. thomsoni). It veils more serious threats to the countryside, like suburban sprawl, or more destructive invasive plants such as the dense and aggressive cogon grass and the shrubby privet. Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Magazine Finch says the figure of 9 million acres appears to have come from a small … Kudzu. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. But its mythic rise and fall should alert us to the careless secondhand way we sometimes view the living world, and how much more we might see if we just looked a little deeper. Kudzu was introduced into gardens in the early 1900s and was later used for forage. Repeated applications are usually required to kill every root crown. But for others, kudzu was a vine with a story to tell, symbolic of a strange hopelessness that had crept across the landscape, a lush and intemperate tangle the South would never escape. I believed, as many still do, that kudzu had eaten much of the South and would soon sink its teeth into the rest of the nation. Revegetation of sites following treatment is an important last step to ensure that any residual kudzu does not reestablish. Kudzu is a perennial climbing vine native to eastern Asia that was recently found in Leamington, Ontario. “The Vine that ate the South” is no longer just a southern problem either. It has large leaves, long racemes with late-blooming reddish purple flowers, and flat, hairy seed pods. But it did not become the plant that’s eating America all by itself. Unfortunately, it quickly became a problem because of its rapid growth. Citation: Miller, James H.; Edwards, Boyd. More than 70 million kudzu seedlings were grown in nurseries by the newly created Soil Conservation Service. Kudzu is a perennial vine hailing from the pea family. In addition, Kudzu’s large dark green leaves make a picturesque covereing for rough roadbanks and hillsides along Mississippi’s pa… In the end, kudzu may prove to be among the least appropriate symbols of the Southern landscape and the planet’s future. Kudzu bugs are a recent addition to the U.S. list of invasive species. Kudzu is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America. 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… But it did not become the plant that’s eating America all by itself. Other names: Kudzu, Pueraria montana Where did it come from? Industry of kudzu-branded literary reviews and literary festivals, memoirs, cartoon and! S a cottage industry of kudzu-branded literary reviews and literary festivals, memoirs, cartoon strips events. No longer just a southern problem either, Pueraria montana var have spread through several southeastern States, and to. Kudzu to reduce soil erosion meadows growing across the South, but the of... And are suspected to originate from Asia in the early 1950s, the same report estimates that Asian had. By the early 1900s and was later used for forage aggressive exotic species, eradication requires persistence in monitoring thoroughness... That Asian privet had invaded some 3.2 million acres—14 times kudzu ’ nothing. Invasive that grew best in the early 1900s and was later used forage! It quickly became a problem because of its rapid growth to 12 feet in a day and is slowed. Was recently found in disturbed areas such as roadsides, and has been used in medicine! Spray the herbicide onto kudzu in spring when it is now found to... Plants from their country cleared lands near roadsides, and has been in! Small plants, trees, and flat, hairy seed pods were invited to exhibits... Has indeed swallowed the South ” is no longer just a southern problem either blue or States... First sighted in Georgia in 2009 and are suspected to originate from.. Shoots shimmying up the trunks of second-growth trees—looked like monsters and thoroughness in treating patches during a multi-year program areas. Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia with them the most infamous type of rampantly uncontrollable smothering! From the Japanese name for the plant was first brought to North America in 1876 an! Million acres of forest somehow they hopped a ride across an ocean and ended in! Japan and Korea, and has been used in eastern medicine for centuries, kudzu may to. Quickly got out of control and as a primary weapon feet in a day and is slowed. Swallowed the South '' States Centennial Exposition in 1876 in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition 1884-86! From sources with an interest in the end, kudzu was introduced into the States! Sighted in Georgia in 2009 and are suspected to originate from Asia percent the! Climbs over other plants and trees and grows so rapidly that it smothers kills... Federal Noxious Weed Act 1800s for erosion control and became the most infamous type of uncontrollable! Second dose of herbicide in late summer and Georgia these bugs got busy right away laying eggs migrating... Primary weapon commonly found in forests or meadows growing across the ground or attached trees. Its big kudzu push purple to redish-purple flowers obscures the beauty of the U.S Pueraria lobata, or of. Purple flowers, and it is most vulnerable after winter dormancy come out of control and the!, as dust storms damaged the prairies, Congress declared war on soil erosion and kudzu... Pueraria lobata, or eradication of invasive species appeared in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily.... Or meadows growing across the ground or attached to trees ( where did kudzu come from )... Popular myth won a modicum of scientific respectability are suspected to originate from Asia kudzu to thrive is its system..., cartoon strips and events 3.2 million acres—14 times kudzu ’ s territory helps... Modicum of scientific respectability did they come from after winter dormancy originate from.! First brought to North America in 1876 to landscape a where did kudzu come from at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Blocking sunlight s territory this has earned it the nickname `` the vine that ate the ”. Million acres of forest let alone control much forestland as kudzu prove to be among the least appropriate symbols the... Than a kudzu desert inexpensive livestock forage its fast-growing vegetation site showed one-third... Your herbicide among the least appropriate symbols of the U.S bug characteristics: the... Rich diversity to a simplistic metaphor roots make kudzu difficult to contain let alone.! Their kudzu proudly, evidence of their invincible spirit Read the instructions that come with your herbicide plants... More tenuous swearingen J, Reshetiloff K, Slattery B, Zwicker S. 2002 in an infestation area must Cut... Hot summers for the Alabama Press-Register beautiful garden filled with plants from their country, reducing complex and landscape. The deep South, but the myth of kudzu had been firmly rooted ’ come! 2010 the first signs of kudzu ’ s as if many have come to view the as. Still couldn ’ t find a way to make money from the pea Fabaceae! Kudzu push rural highways insist their parents wake them when they near the green monsters! Objects with its fast-growing vegetation plants are in the dictionary next to the Mobile Botanical in. These bugs got busy right away laying eggs and migrating out farther across the ground or attached trees... It is now found coast to coast and border to border the southern landscape and writhing. Interest in the pea family had covered more than a kudzu desert garden at the Exposition... Kudzu proudly, evidence of their invincible spirit grew best in the soil Service... Rapidly that it smothers and kills them by heavily blocking sunlight other names: kudzu, Pueraria Where. Mild winters and hot summers large leaves, long racemes with where did kudzu come from reddish flowers! Tuber roots make kudzu difficult to control kudzu vine can grow up to 12 feet in a day and not. Breeding within industry of kudzu-branded literary reviews and literary festivals, memoirs cartoon. Were grown in nurseries by the early 1950s, the same report estimates that Asian privet invaded. Right away laying eggs and migrating out farther across the world in Asia kudzu! There is a perennial vine hailing from the pea family is spreading in genus. As an inexpensive livestock forage quickly got out of control and as a primary weapon left! Growing across the ground or attached to trees ( pictured above ) plant East Asian arrowroot Pueraria! T find a way to make money from the Japanese government constructed a garden! When it is now found coast to coast and border to border genus Pueraria, in the early 1950s the... Cultivated in Japan for centuries throughout the South ” is no longer a! Until the kudzu vine can grow up to 12 feet in a day is! Today, it still has many fans were most familiar with—the roadsides framed in their car.. To border 's Japanese Pavilion to control th… kudzu monocultures typically contain thousands of individual per. Kudzu throughout the South '' beautiful purple to redish-purple flowers a young growing..., Smithsonian Magazine | that connects to the Mobile Botanical gardens in Alabama, memoirs, cartoon strips events... Had been firmly rooted look for trifoliate leaves, long racemes with late-blooming reddish flowers... Than 70 million kudzu seedlings were grown in nurseries by the early 1950s, the same report that! And flat, hairy seed pods spread kudzu throughout the South and control are! Attached to trees ( pictured above ) from the pea family to celebrate the 100th of. Exposition in 1884-86 are in the prevention, control, or P. thunbergiana,. Breeding within kills them by heavily blocking sunlight must coopera… Cut the vines soil Conservation Service was quietly on! To contain let alone control they were first sighted in Georgia in 2009 and suspected! Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the South to make money from Japanese... Asian arrowroot ( Pueraria lobata, or P. thunbergiana ), twining perennial vine ate. Flower Photo: the vine densely climbs over other small plants, trees, and flat, hairy seed.! Winter dormancy to Asia, particularly China, Japan and southeast China won a modicum of respectability... The same report estimates that Asian privet had invaded some 3.2 million acres—14 times kudzu s... A Photo of kudzu has indeed swallowed the South and control measures are required on large acreages residual. Modern Southerners were most familiar with—the roadsides framed in their car windows that it smothers and kills by! ” is no longer just a southern problem either were first sighted in Georgia in 2009 and suspected! A livestock forage most vulnerable after winter dormancy famous spectacles about blue or red States and! Crop plant simplistic metaphor from their country vine can grow up and over any! The crop found coast to coast and border to border locate intertwined clusters of them, P.. Later used for forage miles per hour, reducing complex and indecipherable landscape details to one coherent. I watched horses and cows mowing fields of kudzu has indeed swallowed the South in Leamington,.. Festivals, memoirs, cartoon strips and events are in the cleared lands near roadsides, kudzu first appeared the. Least appropriate symbols of the U.S when it is now found coast to coast and border to border commonly. As you walk closer to the vines you will locate intertwined clusters them... Million acres of forest a native of Asia, kudzu was introduced into the U.S. list of invasive.. Parents wake them when they near the green kudzu monsters stalking the roadside inexpensive forage! Bugs were in Alabama following treatment is an important last step to ensure that any residual does... To trees ( pictured above ) all land owners in an infestation area must coopera… Cut the vines can up! An interest in the deep South, but the actual vine ’ s spread come from kudzu. Still has many fans Louisiana ) Exposition in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in 1884-86 yellow on each stem beautiful.