Otters and Science News: KUDZU, THE FEARED INVASIVE PLANT THAT AGGRESSIVELY TAKES OVER BUILDINGS AND FIELDS IN THE US - JAPAN gave it to the United States as a gift. - Now Americans are in despair over KUDZU's rapid spread, its destruction of native plants, and its production of OZONE - Kudzu can grow up to 2 feet a day and is almost impossible to eradicate

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In the History Channel documentary series Life After People (for sale on DVD) there is a segment showing how in a world without people the Kudzu plant would rapidly take over large parts of the southern US destroying the native foliage and completely covering empty buildings and abandoned cars.

The killer climbing plant eating the South: Mysterious Chinese Kudzu species has engulfed parts of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina - and there's no way to stop it

A North Carolina building

Pueraria lobate (also known as kudzu), is the world's most aggressive and invasive plant species

Kudzu mounts other plants and engulfs areas with darkness, killing all other greenery in its path.

Vines can grow as much as 2 feet (61cm) a day in summer months. Attaching to a tree, pole, fence or building, kudzu can grow up to 80 feet (24m) high.

Feature Shoot reports that the plant is originally from China but was given as a gift to the Americas from Japan at the Japanese pavilion in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

Horticulturists became fascinated by the beautiful plant and began growing it in their gardens near roads and railway tracks.

Kudzu contributes to the production of ozone. It produces isoprene and nitric oxide, which, when combined with nitrogen in the air, form ozone, an air pollutant that causes significant health problems for humans and hinders the growth of many kinds of other plants, including crops.

Its spread is currently limited to vegetative expansion by runners and rhizomes and by vines that root at the nodes to form new plants.

Kudzu also spreads through seeds, which are contained in pods that mature in the fall.

Continue reading about Kudzu, see more images, and watch brief VIDEO

KUDZU FACTS

Kudzu, also called Japanese Arrowroot, belongs to the legume family which is related to the pea
A legume is a plant that produces its fruit in the form of a pod. A kudzu's pod blossoms into a tall, purple flower that has a grapelike fragrance.
In late summer, the flower turns into brown, flat, hairy-looking pods that contain anywhere from two to 10 seeds.
The catch is that only kudzu vines draped over other plants or objects can produce seed pods, because blossoms grow from those hanging vines.
An entire cluster produces two or three healthy seeds, but they can germinate even after several years of dormancy
The secret to the plant's durability is in the roots - they sprout new ones to reproduce very quickly.
These root crowns are relentless and have been known to hitchhike in truckloads of fill dirt and take up residency hundreds of miles away. They set up camp right on the soil surface of the ground.
From there, these starch roots grow as deep as 12 feet (3.66 meters) and can weigh up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms).
Vines can grow as much as 2 feet (61cm) a day in summer months. Attaching to a tree, pole, fence or building, kudzu can grow up to 80 feet (24m) high. That's why some people call it the 'mile-a-minute vine'.
The plant was introduced to the U.S. at the Japanese pavilion in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia
The plant climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so rapidly that it kills them by heavy shading
It is seen along roadsides and other disturbed areas throughout most of the southeastern U.S.
Estimates of how quickly it spreads differ wildly - it has been described as spreading at the rate of 150,000 acres (610 km) annually although in 2015 the United States Forest Service estimated the rate to be only 2,500 acres per year
To try and control Kudzu you need to kill each of the rooted stems at their crowns. Mowing or cutting back the vegetation to the ground is the first step in removal before putting chemical herbicides on them but they won't disappear straight away. This can be a several-seasons battle.

*Source How Stuff Works

HOW TO IDENTIFY KUDZU

Look for trifoliate leaves, or formations with 3 leaflets attached at each node. All 3 leaves will be attached to the stem on their own petiole, or stalk. The central leaf's petiole will be about 3/4 inch (19 mm) long, while the 2 outer leaves have much shorter petioles.