The plant that smothers millions of acres of the South is kudzu, and it is not native to the United States.
It was first seen in the United States at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where the Japanese planted it in a garden.
It became popular in the South, and it was widely used to control erosion on hillsides in the 1930s.
Kudzu can grow as much as 60 feet (18 m) a year.
Unfortunately, it may take years to get rid of, even with the most effective herbicides.
