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Article: Kudzu.(herbal tree)
- Article from:
- Faces: People, Places, and Cultures
- Article date:
- April 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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What is green; covers cars, homes, roadways, power lines, and bridges; others shrubs and native plants; and topples hundred-foot-tail trees with its massive weight?
The answer--kudzu! Nicknamed "the plant that ate the South" or "the-mile-a-minute-vine," kudzu is a climbing woody vine (Pueraria montana) native to Japan and part of the pea family of plants.
Southern farmers were introduced to kudzu in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, where they were encouraged to plant the vines to prevent soil erosion. A salesman named Channing Cope traveled across the South, encouraging the planting of kudzu, calling it "a miracle vine" for farms.