Kudzu

Pueraria montana

pware-AIR-ee-ah mont-ANN-ah

Fabaceae

Native to: Eastern Asia

Florida abundance and distribution: in 1992, it was found on the canal bank

between the Sawgrass Expressway and an Everglades water conservation area. It apparently hasn't appeared in Palm Beach County, but is scattered in the state, more to the north of our region but in South Florida too.  In Georgia and the Carolinas, Kudzu can smother entire meadows or hillsides, climbing over trees and buildings.

Recognition: High climbing, trailing, twining, deciduous woody vine. It scrambles over trees, has rope-like roots, dark brown stems. Leaves alternate, having 3 leaflets,  dark green, with  hairy margins. Flowers: pea-like, reddish purple, fragrant. Dark brown pod flat but bulging over seeds, densely cover in long golden brown hairs.

Potentially confused species: Five species in the genus Pueraria are closely related and the name kudzu describes one or more of them. They are P. montana, P. lobata, P. edulis, P. phaseoloides and P. thomsonii. The morphological differences between the five species are subtle, they can breed with each other, and it appears that introduced kudzu populations in the United States have ancestry from more than one of the species. The name Pueraria thunbergiana is a synonym for Pueraria montana var. lobata.

Other: Kudzu is used for soil improvement and preservation, use by grazing animals, and it can possibly be used for medicine. It’s a possible way to treat alcoholic cravings.

Contributed by: Geovany Esteban