• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Science / What Is Kudzu, Where Did the Kudzu Vine Come From, and How Do You Get Rid of Kudzu?

What Is Kudzu, Where Did the Kudzu Vine Come From, and How Do You Get Rid of Kudzu?

July 26, 2020 by Karen Hill

Kudzu, often called the vine that ate the South, is a Chinese and Japanese fodder and cover crop with an edible root.

The original Japanese pronunciation was kuzu.

The Latin name is Pueraria lobata, but it was called Pueraria thunbergiana until 1947.

An American consul in Japan in the late nineteenth century, Thomas Hogg, exported kudzu to the United States, where an excess of its virtues as an erosion-control planting eventually made it into a famous pest.

Its twining vine stems can grow as much as a foot a day and may reach a length of more than sixty feet.

But for decades, county agents and soil conservation scientists enthusiastically recommended kudzu as a ground cover, and it has many other virtues.

It is a very nice pot plant, with sweet-smelling purple flowers.

It was grown as a porch vine, to keep the sun off. Kudzu starch, a fine-grain starch, is extracted from the roots and used in Japanese cooking. It can be made into noodles.

For two thousand years, the Japanese have extracted an anti-fever medicine from it.

Kudzu can also be put up as an excellent hay, though modern haying equipment has a hard time handling the long vines. Its appeal to grazing animals can be used to control it.

Watch What You Put in Your Mouth.

Related Facts

  • How did the United States break the Japanese secret code in World War II?
  • How Was Kudzu Introduced To the United States and Why Is Kudzu Such a Pest In the Southern States?
  • Why does Split Pea Soup Turn Solid when you put it in the Fridge?
  • What is the Best Way to Make Mashed Potatoes and What is the Best Potato Masher to Use?
  • Who Discovered Conservation of Energy and How Energy can neither be created nor lost?
  • The History of Tulips

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Why Does Popcorn Pop and Which Other Foods Pop?
Next Post: How Long Does It Take For All Alcohol To Be Removed From the Body After a Person Stops Drinking? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy