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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, but
invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
in many parts of the world, primarily
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. 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. The plants are in the genus ''
Pueraria ''Pueraria'' is a genus of 15–20 species of legumes native to Asia. The best known member is kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot. The genus is named after 19th century Swiss botanist Marc Nicolas Puerari. The genus, as traditionally circum ...
'', in the pea family
Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...
, subfamily Faboideae. The name is derived from the Japanese name for the plant
East Asian arrowroot ''Pueraria montana'' var. ''lobata'', the East Asian arrowroot, or kudzu vine, is a perennial plant in the family Fabaceae. Names It is called ''gé'' () in Chinese, ''kuzu'' () in Japanese, and ''chik'' () or ''gal'' (갈; 葛) in Korean. ...
, (''Pueraria montana'' var. ''lobata''), . Where these plants are
naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
, they can be
invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
and are considered
noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...
s. The plant is edible, but often sprayed with herbicides.


Taxonomy and nomenclature

The name kudzu describes one or more species in the genus ''
Pueraria ''Pueraria'' is a genus of 15–20 species of legumes native to Asia. The best known member is kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot. The genus is named after 19th century Swiss botanist Marc Nicolas Puerari. The genus, as traditionally circum ...
'' that are closely related, and some of them are considered to be varieties rather than full species. The morphological differences between the subspecies of ''P. montana'' are subtle; they can breed with each other, and introduced kudzu populations in the United States apparently have ancestry from more than one of the subspecies. They are: *'' P. montana'' ** ''Pueraria montana'' var. ''chinensis'' (Ohwi) Sanjappa & Pradeep (= ''P. chinensis'') ** ''Pueraria montana'' var. ''lobata'' (Willd.) Sanjappa & Pradeep (= ''P. lobata'') ** ''Pueraria montana'' var. ''thomsonii'' (Benth.) Wiersema ex D.B. Ward (= ''P. thomsonii'') *'' P. edulis'' *'' P. phaseoloides'' – proposed to be moved to ''
Neustanthus ''Neustanthus'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the pea family Fabaceae and its tribe Phaseoleae. The only species is ''Neustanthus phaseoloides'', called tropical kudzu. This species is a forage crop and cover crop used ...
'' Various other species in ''Pueraria'' sensu stricto are also known as "kudzu" with an adjective, but they are not as widely cultivated or introduced.


Propagation

Kudzu spreads by vegetative reproduction via
stolon In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...
s (runners) that root at the
nodes In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a Vertex (graph theory), vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics *Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two ...
to form new plants and by
rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
s. 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 Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when t ...
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.


Uses


Soil improvement and preservation

Kudzu has been used as a form of
erosion control Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development, coastal areas, river banks and construction. Effective erosion controls handle surface runoff and are important techniques in ...
and to enhance the soil. As a
legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
, it increases the nitrogen in the soil by a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Its deep taproots also transfer valuable minerals from the subsoil to the topsoil, thereby improving the topsoil. In the deforested section of the central
Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
in Brazil, it has been used for improving the soil pore-space in clay
latosol Latosols, also known as tropical red earth, are soils found under tropical rainforests which have a relatively high content of iron and aluminium oxides. They are typically classified as oxisols (USDA soil taxonomy) or ferralsols (World Reference B ...
s, thus freeing even more water for plants than in the soil prior to deforestation.


Animal feed

Kudzu can be used by grazing animals, as it is high in quality as a forage and palatable to livestock. It can be grazed until
frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...
and even slightly after. Kudzu had been used in the southern United States specifically to feed goats on land that had limited resources. Kudzu hay typically has a 22–23% crude protein content and over 60% total digestible nutrient value. The quality of the leaves decreases as vine content increases relative to the leaf content. Kudzu also has low forage yields despite its rate of
growth Growth may refer to: Biology * Auxology, the study of all aspects of human physical growth * Bacterial growth * Cell growth * Growth hormone, a peptide hormone that stimulates growth * Human development (biology) * Plant growth * Secondary growth ...
, yielding around two to four tons of dry matter per acre annually. It is also difficult to bale due to its vining growth and its slowness in shedding water. This makes it necessary to place kudzu hay under sheltered protection after being baled. Fresh kudzu is readily consumed by all types of grazing animals, but frequent grazing over three to four years can ruin even established stands. Thus, kudzu only serves well as a grazing crop on a temporary basis.


Basketry

Kudzu fiber has long been used for fiber art and basketry. The long runners which propagate the kudzu fields and the larger vines which cover trees make excellent weaving material. Some basketmakers use the material green. Others use it after splitting it in half, allowing it to dry and then rehydrating it using hot water. Both traditional and contemporary basketry artists use kudzu.


Phytochemicals and uses

Kudzu contains
isoflavones Isoflavones are substituted derivatives of isoflavone, a type of naturally occurring isoflavonoids, many of which act as phytoestrogens in mammals. Isoflavones are produced almost exclusively by the members of the bean family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae) ...
, including
puerarin Puerarin, one of several known isoflavones, is found in a number of plants and herbs, such as the root of '' Pueraria'' (''Radix puerariae'') notably of the kudzu plant. Puerarin is the 8-''C''-glucoside A glucoside is a glycoside that is der ...
(about 60% of the total isoflavones), daidzein,
daidzin Daidzin is a natural organic compound in the class of phytochemicals known as isoflavones. Daidzin can be found in Japanese plant kudzu (''Pueraria lobata'', Fabaceae) and from soybean leaves. Daidzin is the 7-O-glucoside A glucoside is a gly ...
(structurally related to genistein),
mirificin Mirificin, also known as daidzein 8-C-(6-apiofuranosylglucoside), is an isoflavone that is found in ''Pueraria mirifica'' and ''Pueraria lobata''. It has estrogenic activity and hence is a phytoestrogen. See also * Daidzein * Deoxymiroestrol * Mi ...
, and salvianolic acid, among numerous others identified. In traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as ''gé gēn'' (gegen), kudzu is considered one of the
50 fundamental herbs Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that t ...
thought to have therapeutic effects, although there is no high-quality clinical research to indicate it has any activity or therapeutic use in humans. Compounds of icariin, astragalus, and
puerarin Puerarin, one of several known isoflavones, is found in a number of plants and herbs, such as the root of '' Pueraria'' (''Radix puerariae'') notably of the kudzu plant. Puerarin is the 8-''C''-glucoside A glucoside is a glycoside that is der ...
mitigates iron overload in the cerebral cortex of mice with Alzheimer's disease. Adverse effects may occur if kudzu is taken by people with hormone-sensitive cancer or those taking tamoxifen, antidiabetic medications, or
methotrexate Methotrexate (MTX), formerly known as amethopterin, is a chemotherapy agent and immune-system suppressant. It is used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and ectopic pregnancies. Types of cancers it is used for include breast cancer, leuke ...
.


Food

The roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...
contain
starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
, which has traditionally been used as a food ingredient in East and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, the starch called ''bột sắn dây'' is flavoured with pomelo oil and then used as a drink in the summer. In Korea, the plant root is made into ''chikcha'' (칡차; "arrowroot tea"), used in traditional medicine, and processed starch used for culinary purposes such as primary ingredient for naengmyeon (칡냉면). In
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, the plant is known as ''kuzu'' and the starch named '' kuzuko''. ''Kuzuko'' is used in dishes including ''
kuzumochi is a Japanese term referring either to cakes made of () or cakes made from Lactobacillales-fermented wheat starch (), a speciality dish local to certain wards of Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ...
, mizu manjū'', and ''
kuzuyu Arrowroot tea, also called kudzu tea, is a traditional East Asian tea made from Pueraria montana var. lobata, East Asian arrowroot, a type of kudzu. Names Arrowroot tea is called ''gegen-cha'' () in Chinese, ''kuzuyu'' (; ) in Japanese, and '' ...
''. It also serves as a thickener for sauces, and can substitute for cornstarch. The flowers are used to make a jelly that tastes similar to grape jelly. Roots, flowers, and leaves of kudzu show antioxidant activity that suggests food uses. Nearby bee colonies may forage on kudzu nectar during droughts as a last resort, producing a low-viscosity red or purple
honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
that tastes of grape jelly or bubblegum.


Folk medicine

Kudzu has also been used for centuries in East Asia as folk medicine using herbal teas and tinctures. Kudzu powder is used in Japan to make an herbal tea called ''
kuzuyu Arrowroot tea, also called kudzu tea, is a traditional East Asian tea made from Pueraria montana var. lobata, East Asian arrowroot, a type of kudzu. Names Arrowroot tea is called ''gegen-cha'' () in Chinese, ''kuzuyu'' (; ) in Japanese, and '' ...
''. Kakkonto () is a herbal drink with its origin in traditional Chinese medicine, intended for people having various mild illnesses, such as
headache Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result ...
.


Other uses

Kudzu fiber, known as ko-hemp, is used traditionally to make clothing and paper, and has also been investigated for industrial-scale use. It may become a valuable asset for the production of cellulosic ethanol. In the Southern United States, kudzu is used to make soaps, lotions, and
compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...
.


Invasive species

Kudzu's environmental and ecological damage results from its outcompeting other species for a resource. Kudzu competes with native flora for light, and acts to block their access to this vital resource by growing over them and shading them with its leaves. Native plants may then die as a result.When kudzu invades an ecosystem, it makes the leaf litter more labile, thereby lessening the carbon sequestration ability of the soil. This feeds climate change.


Americas

Kudzu is an infamous weed in the United States, where it can be found in 32 states. It is common along roadsides and other disturbed areas throughout most of the southeast, as far north as rural areas of
Pulaski County, Illinois Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,193. Its county seat is Mound City. It is located along the Ohio River in the southwestern portion of the state, known lo ...
. The vine has become a touchpoint in Southern US culture. Estimates of its rate of spreading differ wildly; it has been described as spreading at the rate of annually, although in 2015 the United States Forest Service estimated the rate to be only per year. A small patch of kudzu was discovered in 2009 in Leamington, Ontario, the second-warmest growing region of Canada after south coastal British Columbia. Kudzu was introduced from Japan into the United States at the Japanese pavilion in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It was also shown at the Chicago World's Fair. It remained a garden plant until the Dust Bowl era (1930s–1940s), when the vine was marketed as a way for farmers to stop
soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...
. The new Soil Conservation Service grew seventy million kudzu seedlings and paid $8 an acre () to anyone who would sow the vine. Road and rail builders planted kudzu to stabilize steep slopes. Farmer and journalist Channing Cope, dubbed "kudzu kid" in a 1949 ''Time'' profile, popularised it in the South as a fix for eroded soils. He started the Kudzu Club of America, which, by 1943, had 20,000 members. The club aimed to plant across the South. Cultivation peaked at over by 1945. Once Soil Service payments ended, much of the kudzu was destroyed as farmers turned the land over to more profitable uses. The Soil Conservation Service stopped promoting kudzu altogether by the 1950s. Kudzu's ongoing mythos as a mile-a-minute invader is likely due to its visibility coating trees at wooded roadsides, thriving in the sunshine at the forest edge. Despite kudzu's notoriety, Asian privet and invasive
roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
have each proved to be greater threats in the United States.


Europe

In Europe, kudzu has been included since 2016 on the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This means that this species cannot be imported, cultivated, transported, commercialized, planted, or intentionally released into the environment anywhere in the European Union.


Other regions

During World War II, kudzu was introduced to Vanuatu and
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
by United States Armed Forces to serve as camouflage for equipment and has become a major weed. Kudzu is also becoming a problem in northeastern Australia, and has been seen in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and in isolated spots in
Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
( Lake Maggiore). In New Zealand, kudzu was declared an "unwanted organism" and was added to the Biosecurity New Zealand register in 2002.


Control


Crown removal

Destroying the full underground system, which can be extremely large and deep, is not necessary for successful long-term control of kudzu. Killing or removing the kudzu root crown and all rooting runners is sufficient. The root crown is a fibrous knob of tissue that sits on top of the roots. Crowns form from multiple vine nodes that root to the ground, and range from pea- to basketball-sized. The age of the crowns is correlated to how deep they are in the ground. Nodes and crowns are the source of all kudzu vines, and roots cannot produce vines. If any portion of a root crown remains after attempted removal, the kudzu plant may still grow back. Mechanical methods of control involve cutting off crowns from roots, usually just below ground level. This immediately kills the plant. Cutting off the above-ground vines is not sufficient for an immediate kill. Destroying all removed crown material is necessary. Buried crowns can regenerate into healthy kudzu. Transporting crowns in soil removed from a kudzu infestation is one common way that kudzu unexpectedly spreads and shows up in new locations. Close mowing every week, regular heavy grazing for many successive years, or repeated cultivation may be effective, as this serves to deplete root reserves. If done in the spring, cutting off vines must be repeated. Regrowth appears to exhaust the plant's stored carbohydrate reserves. Harvested kudzu can be fed to livestock, burned, or composted. In the United States, the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee undertook a trial program in 2010 using goats and llamas to graze on the plant. Similar efforts to reduce widespread nuisance kudzu growth have also been undertaken in the cities of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Tallahassee, Florida. Prescribed burning is used on old extensive infestations to remove vegetative cover and promote seed germination for removal or treatment. While fire is not an effective way to kill kudzu, equipment, such as a skid loader, can later remove crowns and kill kudzu with minimal disturbance or erosion of soil.


Herbicide

A systemic
herbicide Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page fo ...
, for example, glyphosate,Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual
/ref> triclopyr, or picloram,Missouri Department of Conservation - Kudzu
can be applied directly on cut stems, which is an effective means of transporting the herbicide into the kudzu's extensive root system.
/ref> Herbicides can be used after other methods of control, such as mowing, grazing, or burning, which can allow for an easier application of the chemical to the weakened plants. In large-scale forestry infestations, soil-active herbicides have been shown to be highly effective. After initial herbicidal treatment, follow-up treatments and monitoring are usually necessary, depending on how long the kudzu has been growing in an area. Up to 10 years of supervision may be needed after the initial chemical placement to make sure the plant does not return.


Fungi

Since 1998, the United States'
Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...
has experimented with using the fungus '' Myrothecium verrucaria'' as a biologically based herbicide against kudzu. A
diacetylverrucarol Diacetylverrucarol is a natural trichothecene produced by the fungus ''Myrothecium verrucaria''. Chemically, it is an acetate derivative of verrucarol. : Herbicide use Trichothecenes have been found to cause growth retardation, wilting, chlo ...
spray based on ''M. verrucaria'' works under a variety of conditions (including the absence of
dew Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at whi ...
), causes minimal injury to many of the other woody plants in kudzu-infested habitats, and takes effect quickly enough that kudzu treated with it in the morning starts showing evidence of damage by midafternoon. Initial formulations of the herbicide produced toxic levels of other trichothecenes as byproducts, though the ARS discovered that growing ''M. verrucaria'' in a fermenter on a liquid diet (instead of a solid) limited or eliminated the problem.


See also

*
Kudzu bug ''Megacopta cribraria'', also called the bean plataspid, kudzu bug, globular Pentatomoidea, stink bug and lablab bug, is a shield bug native to India and China, where it is an agricultural pest of Lablab purpureus, lablab beans and other legume ...
* Kudzu tea *
Kudzu powder Kudzu powder, called ''géfěn'' () in Chinese, ''kuzuko'' (; ) in Japanese, ''chik-garu'' () or ''galbun'' (; ) in Korean, and ''bột sắn dây'' in Vietnamese is a starch powder made from the root of the kudzu plant. It is used in traditional ...


Notes


References

* ''This article was based in part on content from public domain web pages from the United States National Park Service and the United States Bureau of Land Management''


External links

* * * {{cite book, url=http://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/catalog/ua100_012-002-hb0002-003-000, title=Kudzu in Rotation with Corn and Small Grain, publisher=NCSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, year=1953, author1=T. L. Copley, author2=Luke A. Forrest Edible thickening agents Japanese cuisine Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Fiber plants Pueraria Starch Plant common names Flora invasive in North America