description
Pueraria lobata, a member of the Fabaceae family, is a perennial climbing,
coiling, and trailing vine growing to 10 m (32ft 10in) and at a fast rate.
It has trifoliate leaves that have coarsely lobed leaflets and produces
large, wisteria-like, purple flowers on long racemes, and beans in flat,
papery pods covered with a tawny down.
Kudzu plants produce long lateral
runners that generate roots at intervals. It is in flower from September to
October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
and are pollinated by insects. This plant can fix nitrogen in the soil, thus
improving the soil. Where it occurs as an invasive species, it is considered
a noxious weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so rapidly, it
kills them by heavy shading.
common names & nomenclature
The common name kudzu comes from the Japanese name for the plant, kuzu,
which in historical accounts was written "kudzu".
Also known as:
kudzu, gegen, “mile-a-minute-vine,” “foot-a-day-vine”, “the vine that ate the south”, japanese arrowroot
