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It is truly one of the most (stubborn) (tenacious) plants in this old world. No, we must say the universe. I sure hope that NASA will not plant a sprig on the moon or Mars. Surely, the moon would be covered in a week and would reflect almost no light from the sun. It would show up at night as a dull brown-gray smudge.
I grew up with kudzu and I have been running from it all my life. It does have a semi-good reputation in some respects but it is impossible to kill or slow down. It can grow one foot per night and can grow up the trunk of a tall tree as much as 100 feet!
But there is one thing that scares kudzu to death–a solid freeze. The photo above was taken recently along side U.S. 11 between Argo and Trussville. Literally overnight, this vast field of kudzu paused, put on its pajamas and curled up for a long winters nap. Totally without beauty.
Shame on Webster for using only three lines to describe kudzu.
Kudzu was introduced to the USA from Japan in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. After 1935 the Soil Conservation Service encouraged farmers in the SE USA to plant kudzu to prevent erosion. The CCC planted it widely for a number of years.
Bad call…
Well, not entirely but the rapid growing stuff became a nightmare for many farmers. It does have some value. As a forage, it is enjoyed by livestock.
While kudzu blankets the South, It can also be found as far north as New Jersey and Illinois, although not like the coverage in the south. The Harvard Medical School is researching how it can be used medically.
My late mother-in-law, born in Quincy, Ill., and moved to Phoenix in later years with her family. When they would come to visit us in Alabama, they were astounded at the kudzu. It gave her the “creeps.” We used to also visit them when they lived in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Salt Lake. One summer, we met at high altitude Duck Creek, Utah by a pristine lake for a week of camping. I told her when we left that I had planted a small sprig of kudzu by the lake and slipped two baby alligators (male and female) into the lake. She became furious.
I know this story is already too long, but this final note. Growing up in rural West Alabama (Havana Jct!) I have heard that some rural families before air conditioning would plant a sprig of kudzu on the west and south side of their farm house to soften the blazing summer sun. I actually saw on where you had to step up to the front porch through a narrow opening in the kudzu.
My, my, aren’t we spoiled?
