kudzu

Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S. Almeida

Description from Invasive.org

Appearance
Pueraria montana var. lobata is a climbing, deciduous vine capable of reaching lengths of over 100 ft. (30.5 m) in a single season. Its fleshy tap roots can reach 7 in. (18 cm) in width and grow to 9 ft. (3.8 m) deep. These roots can weigh up to 400 lbs. (180 kg).
Foliage
Leaves are alternate, compound (with three, usually lobed, leaflets), hairy underneath and up to 5.4 in. (15 cm) long.
Flowers
Flowering occurs in midsummer, when 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) long, purple, fragrant flowers hang, in clusters, in the axils of the leaves.
Fruit
Fruit are brown, hairy, flat, 3 in. (7.6 cm) long, 0.3 in. (0.8 cm) wide seed pods. Each pod can contain 3-10 hard seeds.
Ecological Threat
Preferred habitat includes open, disturbed areas such as roadsides, right-of-ways, forest edges, and old fields. Pueraria montana var. lobata often grows over, shades out and kills all other vegetation, including trees. It is native to Asia and was first introduced into the United States in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. It was widely planted throughout the eastern United States in an attempt to control erosion.

Resources

Selected Images from Invasive.org

View All Images at Invasive.org


Flower(s)
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Foliage October
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Foliage An invasive plant in the South
Ronald F. Billings, Texas A&M Forest Service , Bugwood.org
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Flower(s) in September
Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Flower(s)
Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s) November
James H. Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org
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Infestation Kudzu kills trees by shading them and spreads inexorably, mostly through soil movement and vegetative growth
Kerry Britton, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Feature(s) Golden hairy young vines and silvery backside of leaflet in July
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Research four years after planted on eroded field in 1939
USDA NRCS , USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bugwood.org
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Research pigs grazing on field
USDA NRCS , USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bugwood.org
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Research cattle grazing on field interplanted with caley pear to extend grazing in 1949
USDA NRCS , USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s) Stop Kudzu! Brookside Gardens
Jil Swearingen, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
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Infestation Winter photo. Travelers Rest, SC.
Randy Cyr, Greentree, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Infestation Completely covering a road cut-through. Floyd County, KY.
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
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Infestation Winter scene of vines draped in tree crowns. Macon, Georgia
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Infestation Covering an old house in the South.
Jerry Asher, USDI Bureau of Land Management, Bugwood.org
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Infestation Covering a house
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
Johnny Randall, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Bugwood.org
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Feature(s) Sprouts developing at root crowns in April following a winter burn.
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
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Control Aerial herbicide application
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
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Control Broadcast treatment of herbicide spray to kudzu.
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Bark November
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Stand resprouting from root crown after fire
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Stand resprouting from root crown after fire
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Infestation invading a cotton field
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s) infestation, SC
Robert L. Anderson, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Flower(s) flowers habit with ridge
Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org
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Feature(s) tuberous root
Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org
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Seedling(s)
Nancy Dagley, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org
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Seed(s)
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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Distribution