kudzu: Pueraria montana (Fabales: Fabaceae)

kudzu
Fabales > Fabaceae > Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr.
Kudzu is a climbing, deciduous vine capable of reaching lengths of over 100 ft. (30.5 m). Leaves are alternate, compound (with three, usually lobed, leaflets), hairy and up to 5.4 in. (15 cm) long. 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 are brown, hairy, flat, 3 in. (7.6 cm) long, 0.3 in. (0.8 cm) wide seed pods. Preferred habitat includes open, disturbed areas such as roadsides, right-of-ways, forest edges and old fields. Kudzu often grows over, smothers and kills all other vegetation, including trees. Kudzu 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.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States - USDA Forest Service FHTET

Fire Effects Information System - USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

Invasive Plant Atlas of New England - University of Connecticut

Invasive Plant Manual - Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council

Invasive Plants Field and Reference Guide - USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area

Invasive Plants of Asian Origin Established in the United States and Their Natural Enemies - Volume 2 - USDA Forest Service

Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station

Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service & U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Prescriptions for Specific Nonnative Invasive Plants - USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station

Weeds Gone Wild Fact Sheets - Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group

Weeds of the Week - USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area, Forest Health Protection

Selected Images from Invasive.org

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Foliage; An invasive plant in the South Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Foliage; October James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Feature(s); Sprouts developing at root crowns in April following a winter burn. Dooly County Georgia David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Feature(s); Golden hairy young vines and silvery backside of leaflet in July James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Stand; resprouting from root crown after fire David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Stand; resprouting from root crown after fire David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Seedling(s); Nancy Fraley, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Bark; November James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Flower(s); David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Flower(s); in September Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Flower(s); Forest & Kim Starr, U.S. Geological Survey, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Flower(s); flowers habit with ridge Forest & Kim Starr, U.S. Geological Survey, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Fruit(s); November Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Seed(s); Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Feature(s); tuberous root Forest & Kim Starr, U.S. Geological Survey, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Infestation; invading a cotton field David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Plant(s); infestation, SC Robert L. Anderson, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Infestation; Johnny Randall, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; Covering a house Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Infestation; Tift County, GA Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; Completely covering a road cut-through. Floyd County, KY. Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; Covering an old house in the South. Jerry Asher, USDI Bureau of Land Management, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Plant(s); Stop Kudzu! Brookside Gardens Jil M. Swearingen, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Damage; Kudzu kills trees by shading them and spreads inexorably, mostly through soil movement and vegetative growth Kerry Britton, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; Winter photo. Travelers Rest, SC. Randy Cyr, GREENTREE Technologies, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Infestation; Winter scene of vines draped in tree crowns. Macon, Georgia David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Control; Aerial herbicide application John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Control; Broadcast treatment of herbicide spray to kudzu. James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Infestation; John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Research; cattle grazing on field interplanted with caley pear to extend grazing in 1949 USDA NRCS Archive, USDA NRCS, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024
Research; four years after planted on eroded field in 1939 USDA NRCS Archive, USDA NRCS, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024	Research; pigs grazing on field USDA NRCS Archive, USDA NRCS, Bugwood.org 768x512 / 1536x1024

Invasive Reference(s):

Check Invasive.org for most current lists.

Alabama - IPC List
Connecticut - Noxious Weed Law
Florida - EPPC list
Georgia - EPPC list
Illinois - Noxious Weed Law
Kansas - Noxious Weed Law
Kentucky - EPPC List
Kentucky - Noxious Weed Law
Massachusetts - Noxious Weed Law
Mississippi - Noxious Weed Law
Mississippi - 10 Worst Invasive Weeds
Missouri - Noxious Weed Law
Oregon - Noxious Weed Law
Pennsylvania - Noxious Weed Law
South Carolina - EPPC List
Tennessee - EPPC List
Texas - Noxious Weed Law
Texas - Invasive Plant List
Virginia - Invasive Alien Plant Species
Washington - Noxious Weed Law
West Virginia - Noxious Weed Law
Mid-Atlantic - EPPC List
Invasive Plants: Guide to Identification and the Impacts and Control of Common North American Species
Invasive Plants of the Upper Midwest
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England
Invasive Plant Atlas of the Mid-South
Midwest Invasive Plant Network

Invasive Plants of the United States

kudzu

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Selected Images from Invasive.org

Click on each thumbnail to download the image at 1536x1024 resolution or below for available resolutions.

Use 768x512 for Microsoft PowerPoint and use 1536x1024 for Prints and Publications.

Invasive Reference(s):

Check Invasive.org for most current lists.

External Links


				Bargeron, C.T., C.R. Minteer, C.W. Evans, D.J. Moorhead, G.K. Douce and R.C. Reardon. Technical Coordinators. 2008. Invasive Plants of the United States DVD-ROM: Identification, Biology and Control. USDA Forest Service. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. Morgantown, WV. FHTET-08-11.