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Kudzu

Kudzu. Pueraria montana (Lour.) Fabaceae. Biology. Climbing, semi-woody perennial vine Native to Japan and China Introduced to U.S. in 1876 as forage crop and ornamental Extensively planted for erosion control in the southeastern U.S. in the mid 1930’s thru 1950’s. Background.

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Kudzu

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  1. Kudzu Pueraria montana (Lour.) Fabaceae

  2. Biology • Climbing, semi-woody perennial vine • Native to Japan and China • Introduced to U.S. in 1876 as forage crop and ornamental • Extensively planted for erosion control in the southeastern U.S. in the mid 1930’s thru 1950’s

  3. Background Economic Uses • Brought to Florida as a forage and for erosion control • May have been used as an ornamental

  4. Distribution • Covers nearly 2 million acres in the southeast U.S. • Found in several areas of north and north-west Florida • Found along roadways and disturbed areas, forests – both hardwood and pine

  5. Kudzu Distribution in Florida

  6. Impacts • Category 1 invasive species (FLEPPC) • spreads into undisturbed sites • Grows over everything – plants, buildings, roadsigns (over 1 foot/day!) • Kills other plants by blocking light • Mass of kudzu vegetation girdles stems and tree trunks, breaks branches, uproots trees and shrubs

  7. Identification

  8. Mature Plant • Vines grow >100 feet long • Stems ½ to 4 inches in diameter • Some old stumps in Georgia >12 in • Spreads by seeds, runners, rhizomes, rooting vines • Massive taproot • >7 inches diameter • >6 feet long • Up to 30 vines per root crown

  9. Leaves • Alternate arrangement • Compound leaf with 3 leaflets • Leaflets up to 4 inches across • Entire or deeply 2-3 lobed • Hairy margins

  10. Flowers and Fruit • Flowers purple and highly fragrant • Long hanging clusters • Brown flattened seed pods • Contain only 1 to 2 viable seeds

  11. Management Preventative Cultural Mechanical Biological Chemical

  12. Preventative • Remove existing plants, including resprouts and before seeds are produced • Total eradication necessary, constant monitoring

  13. Cultural • Programs to educate homeowners about the problems associated with this vine and proper identification • Maintain good ground cover and mixture of plant species to reduce establishment

  14. Biological • No insects as biological control agents available for kudzu at this time • Asian soybean rust not as devastating as once thought • Goats and other grazing animals are quite effective, but must be grazed continuously (3 to 4 years)

  15. Mechanical • Hand pull young seedlings, including all roots, repeated pulling for resprouts • Cut vine down at ground level • Mowing is effective, although likely impractical, but must be repeated • Dig out root crowns, tillage also very effective

  16. Chemical - Foliar • Over-the-top applications, thoroughly wet leaves with herbicide • Aminopyralid – 7 oz/A • Metsulfuron – 4 oz/A • Chlopyralid – 0.5% solution • Glyphosate – 3 to 5% solution • Use surfactant at 0.25% • Best results applied July to October • Basal and cut stump treatments not practical

  17. Useful Links • Floridata Homepage: http://www.floridata.com/main_fr.cfm?state=Welcome&viewsrc=welcome.htm • University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/welcome.html • University of Florida’s Cooperative Extension Electronic Data Information Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/index.html

  18. Useful Links • The Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group. Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/index.htm • Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Plant Threats to Pacific Ecosystems: http://www.hear.org/pier/threats.htm • Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States: http://www.invasive.org

  19. Useful Links • Kansas Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection and Weed Control Program: http://www.accesskansas.org/kda/Plantpest/PestManagement/plant-pestmanagement-kudzu.htm • Missouri Department of Conservation: Vegetation Management Guidelines for Kudzu: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/exotic/vegman/fifteen.htm • Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org

  20. Literature Cited Langeland, K.A. and K. Craddock Burks. 1998. Identification and Biology of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas. IFAS Publication SP 257. University of Florida, Gainesville. 165 pp

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