Pueraria montana

kudzu

(also known as Japanese arrowroot, Ko-hemp, Kopoubohne, kudzu vine, vine-that-ate-the-South)

Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr.

Synonyms

Dolichos lobatus Willd.

Pueraria hirsuta (Thunb.) C.K. Schneid.

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi var. thomsonii (Benth.) Maesen

Pueraria thunbergiana (Siebold & Zucc.) Benth.

Remarks

• Moss, Flora of Alberta – No




• [1] Global Invasive Species Database – Yes

"...Few plants can survive once smothered by kudzu and small ecosystems can be radically altered. Infestations quickly spread in open habitats, rapidly covering the soil and low growing vegetation, and only slowed by adjoining forests. Kudzu can affect indigenous plants and completely modify the structure of the ecosystem (Clabassi et al. 2003, in EPPO 2007)..."




• [2]NatureServe I-Rank – Medium

"...notorious for forming dense canopies that smother and shade out all vegetation underneath it. It also fixes nitrogen, and therefore may alter nutrient dynamics. Although widespread throughout the southeastern U.S., and also found in parts of the Northeast and in Hawaii, kudzu is rarely significant in areas of high conservation value. It is typically, but not exclusively, found in low-quality disturbed areas, such as roadsides and abandoned fields. Its impacts in natural riparian areas, forest edges, and its ability to spread into areas such as the Everglades should continue to be monitored. Kudzu's ability to spread is currently somewhat limited by lack of pollinators..."




• AB Weed Act status – No

[3] Link to Wikipedia, Pueraria montana - "...an seasonal climbing plant, growing high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also growing as ground cover where there are no vertical surfaces. It is a perennial vine with tuberous roots and rope-like, dark brown stems to 20 m (65 ft) long. It grow up to 20 m per year and can achieve a growth height of 30 m. It has markedly hairy herbaceous stems. Pueraria montana is native to Southeast Asia, primarily subtropical and temperate regions of China, Japan, and Korea,[5][6]..."

[4] Link to USDA Plants, Profile and map for Pueraria montana" (Lour.) Merr., kudzu

Pueraria montana var. lobata, Infestation (licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.)

Pueraria montana var. lobata Plant(s) (licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.)