Kudzu

Kudzu is a woody or semiwoody, perennial, deciduous, and leguminous vine. Kudzu grows in a wide range of conditions and soil types, and thrives in areas with abundant sunlight and rainfall, and warm summers and mild winters. Kudzu vines can reach 100 feet in length, and will grow up and over trees, buildings, hillsides, and across flat ground. Kudzu's relatively high rates of energy expended in photosynthesis, ability to fix nitrogen, and tendency to root rapidly contributes to its rapid spread. Once established, kudzu can grow up to 12 inches per day in peak conditions, with tap roots averaging 4–8 inches in diameter and up to 6 feet in length. Such a large root mass may weight up to 400 pounds and can store water, enabling the plant to survive occasional droughts.

The genus Pueraria includes 17 species spanning its native range from China and portions of India to Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The vine has been integrated into medicines, cuisines, textile production, livestock fodder, and more for over two millennia. From China, kudzu and its uses easily spread to Asian neighbors long ago. The vine is not considered a pest in that region because its growth is limited by climatic conditions, certain insects, and its multiple uses for humans.

Kudzu's uses inspired many introductions into different climes around the world. It has reputedly taken hold without negative consequence in parts of South America, Switzerland, and Australia's eastern territories, but its growth rate in the United States beats all. There, kudzu shifted from an exotic species introduced for environmental benefit to being re-characterized as an invasive species and a biopollutant.

Kudzu seems an inherent part of the U.S. South, but it is a relatively recent import to the continent. Kudzu made its debut in the United States in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, where Japanese participants had planted it to shade and decorate their pavilion. With a followup appearance at the New Orleans Exposition of 1883, kudzu became an aesthetic must. A booming mail-order business for kudzu hastened this process, as the vine was touted to grow where nothing else would.

From 1910 until the mid–1930s, kudzu was largely promoted for the production of livestock fodder, [Page 994]starch, cloth, and paper. By the 1930s, the Soil Conservation Service implemented numerous schemes through which the rapidly growing, nitrogen-fixing kudzu would rejuvenate depleted agricultural lands as well as reverse the effects of erosion along highways, byways, railways, and dam projects. Although some farmers had become leery of its aggressive growth, kudzu was declared “the miracle vine,” and 20,000 card-carrying members were recruited to the Kudzu Club of America by the mid-1940s. Amidst the parades, rallies, and even Kudzu Queens, kudzu grew across 500,000 southeastern acres.