BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Pueraria lobata | Kudzu 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Kudzu is an exotic, rapidly growing deciduous vine; it grows high into
and engulfs woody vegetation.  The stems are semiwoody, twining, and may
grow to 65 feet (20 m) in a season.  The leaves are pinnately
trifoliate, the leaflets entire and palmate.  The flowers are reddish
purple, and seldom produce pods with seeds.  The fruit is a dark brown
legume covered with brown, long-spreading hairs.  The root is a tuberous
underground stem containing buds and penetrating deep into the soil
[6,9,13].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Kudzu shows vigorous vegetative reproduction.  Its long stems readily
root and branch at the nodes.  It also reproduces by seed [7,16].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Kudzu vine prefers moist sites and moderate temperatures but can grow in
drier areas.  It grows along borders of fields, woods, rivers,
roadsides, and embankments, and often covers old dwellings and trees
[20]

In addition to those listed under Distribution and Occurrence, common
associates include white and Carolina ash (Fraxinus americana and F.
caroliniana), magnolia (Magnolia spp.), red bay (Persea borbonia),
greenbriers (Smilax spp.), poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), and
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) [1,16].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Kudzu is an early to midseral species.  It is not well adapted for
climbing in densely shaded, closed canopy forests.  It is dominant in
areas characterized by open ground or small diameter shrubs and trees
[4].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Kudzu flowers between July and August; fruit ripens between August and
October [13].

Related categories for Species: Pueraria lobata | Kudzu