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Pueraria thomsonii
Kudzu is a fast-growing, climbing deciduous perennial vine native to East Asia, best known as an aggressive invasive weed in North America. Its key trait is vigorous spread, so it is grown only where it is contained or deliberately cultivated.
Kudzu (), also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot, is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands. It is invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America.
The vine densely climbs over other plants and trees and grows so rapidly that it smothers and kills them by blocking most of the sunlight and taking root space. The plants are in the genus Pueraria, in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The name is derived from the Japanese name for the plant East Asian arrowroot, (Pueraria montana var. lobata), kuzu (クズ/葛). Where these plants are naturalized, they can be invasive and are considered noxious weeds. The plant is edible, but often sprayed with herbicides.
Kudzu spreads by vegetative reproduction via stolons (runners) that root at the nodes to form new plants and by rhizomes. Kudzu also spreads by seeds, which are contained in pods and mature in the autumn, although this is rare. One or two viable seeds are produced per cluster of pods. The hard-coated seeds can remain viable for several years, and can successfully germinate only when soil is persistently soggy for 5–7 days, with temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F).
Once germinated, saplings must be kept in a well-drained medium that retains high moisture. During this stage of growth, kudzu must receive as much sunlight as possible. Kudzu saplings are sensitive to mechanical disturbance and are damaged by chemical fertilizers. They do not tolerate long periods of shade or high water tables. Kudzu is able to withstand environments ranging from sunny to shady upon reaching its mature stage; however, forest edges with greater light availability are optimal.
Kudzu has been referred to as "quasi-wild" due to its long history of cultivation, selective breeding into various cultivars, and subsequent return to wild conditions. Some researchers suggest that humans are the main predator of kudzu in its native range, and that human use and cultivation of kudzu both contribute to its success as an invasive species and are a form of biological control for kudzu.
Pueraria mirifica · Kudzu · Kudzu · Kudzu
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Kudzu by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
