KudzuKudzu PuerariaPueraria montanamontana (Lour.)(Lour.) FabaceaeFabaceae BiologyBiology •• Climbing,Climbing, semisemi--woodywoody perennialperennial vinevine •• NativeNative toto JapanJapan andand ChinaChina •• IntroducedIntroduced toto U.S.U.S. inin 18761876 asas forageforage cropcrop andand ornamentalornamental •• ExtensivelyExtensively plantedplanted forfor erosionerosion controlcontrol inin thethe southeasternsoutheastern U.S.U.S. inin thethe midmid 19301930’’ss thruthru 19501950’’ss BackgroundBackground EconomicEconomic UsesUses •• BroughtBrought toto FloridaFlorida asas aa forageforage andand forfor erosionerosion controlcontrol •• MayMay havehave beenbeen usedused asas anan ornamentalornamental DistributionDistribution •• CoversCovers nearlynearly 22 millionmillion acresacres inin thethe southeastsoutheast U.S.U.S. •• FoundFound inin severalseveral areasareas ofof northnorth andand northnorth-- westwest FloridaFlorida •• FoundFound alongalong roadwaysroadways andand disturbeddisturbed areas,areas, forestsforests –– bothboth hardwoodhardwood andand pinepine KudzuKudzu DistributionDistribution inin FloridaFlorida ImpactsImpacts •• CategoryCategory 11 invasiveinvasive speciesspecies (FLEPPC)(FLEPPC) ––spreadsspreads intointo undisturbedundisturbed sitessites •• GrowsGrows overover everythingeverything –– plants,plants, buildings,buildings, roadsignsroadsigns (over(over 11 foot/day!)foot/day!) •• KillsKills otherother plantsplants byby blockingblocking lightlight •• MassMass ofof kudzukudzu vegetationvegetation girdlesgirdles stemsstems andand treetree trunks,trunks, breaksbreaks branches,branches, uprootsuproots treestrees andand shrubsshrubs IdentificationIdentification MatureMature PlantPlant •• VinesVines growgrow >100>100 feetfeet longlong •• StemsStems ½½ toto 44 inchesinches inin diameterdiameter •• SomeSome oldold stumpsstumps inin GeorgiaGeorgia >12>12 inin MassiveMassive taproottaproot >7>7 inchesinches diameterdiameter •• SpreadsSpreads byby seeds,seeds, >6>6 feetfeet longlong runners,runners, rhizomes,rhizomes, UpUp toto 3030 vinesvines perper rootingrooting vinesvines rootroot crowncrown LeavesLeaves •• AlternateAlternate arrangementarrangement •• CompoundCompound leafleaf withwith 33 leafletsleaflets ––LeafletsLeaflets upup toto 44 inchesinches acrossacross ––EntireEntire oror deeplydeeply 22--33 lobedlobed ––HairyHairy marginsmargins FlowersFlowers andand FruitFruit •• FlowersFlowers purplepurple andand highlyhighly fragrantfragrant •• LongLong hanginghanging clustersclusters •• BrownBrown flattenedflattened seedseed podspods •• ContainContain onlyonly 11 toto 22 viableviable seedsseeds ManagementManagement PreventativePreventative CulturalCultural MechanicalMechanical BiologicalBiological ChemicalChemical PreventativePreventative 1.1. RemoveRemove existingexisting plants,plants, includingincluding resproutsresprouts andand beforebefore seedsseeds areare producedproduced 2.2. TotalTotal eradicationeradication necessary,necessary, constantconstant monitoringmonitoring CulturalCultural 1.1. ProgramsPrograms toto educateeducate homeownershomeowners aboutabout thethe problemsproblems associatedassociated withwith thisthis vinevine andand properproper identificationidentification 2.2. MaintainMaintain goodgood groundground covercover andand mixturemixture ofof plantplant speciesspecies toto reducereduce establishmentestablishment BiologicalBiological 1.1. NoNo insectsinsects asas biologicalbiological controlcontrol agentsagents availableavailable forfor kudzukudzu atat thisthis timetime 2.2. AsianAsian soybeansoybean rustrust notnot asas devastatingdevastating asas onceonce thoughtthought 3.3. GoatsGoats andand otherother grazinggrazing animalsanimals areare quitequite effective,effective, butbut mustmust bebe grazedgrazed continuouslycontinuously (3(3 toto 44 years)years) MechanicalMechanical 1.1. HandHand pullpull youngyoung seedlings,seedlings, includingincluding allall roots,roots, repeatedrepeated pullingpulling forfor resproutsresprouts 2.2. CutCut vinevine downdown atat groundground levellevel 3.3. MowingMowing isis effective,effective, althoughalthough likelylikely impractical,impractical, butbut mustmust bebe repeatedrepeated 4.4. DigDig outout rootroot crowns,crowns, tillagetillage alsoalso veryvery effectiveeffective ChemicalChemical -- FoliarFoliar 1.1. OverOver--thethe--toptop applications,applications, thoroughlythoroughly wetwet leavesleaves withwith herbicideherbicide 99 AminopyralidAminopyralid –– 77 oz/Aoz/A 99 MetsulfuronMetsulfuron –– 44 oz/Aoz/A 99 ChlopyralidChlopyralid –– 0.5%0.5% solutionsolution 99 GlyphosateGlyphosate –– 33 toto 5%5% solutionsolution 99 UseUse surfactantsurfactant atat 0.25%0.25% 2.2. BestBest resultsresults appliedapplied JulyJuly toto OctoberOctober 3.3. BasalBasal andand cutcut stumpstump treatmentstreatments notnot practicalpractical

UsefulUseful LinksLinks • 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 UsefulUseful LinksLinks • 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 UsefulUseful LinksLinks • Kansas Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection and Weed Control Program: http://www.accesskansas.org/kda/Plantpest/Pe stManagement/plant-pestmanagement- kudzu.htm • Missouri Department of Conservation: Vegetation Management Guidelines for Kudzu: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/exot ic/vegman/fifteen.htm • Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org LiteratureLiterature CitedCited Langeland,Langeland, K.A.K.A. andand K.K. CraddockCraddock Burks.Burks. 1998.1998. IdentificationIdentification andand BiologyBiology ofof NonNon-- NativeNative PlantsPlants inin Florida'sFlorida's NaturalNatural Areas.Areas. IFASIFAS PublicationPublication SPSP 257.257. UniversityUniversity ofof Florida,Florida, Gainesville.Gainesville. 165165 pppp