kudzu

British  

/ ˈkʊdzuː /

noun

1. a hairy leguminous climbing plant, Pueraria thunbergiana, of China and Japan, with trifoliate leaves and purple fragrant flowers

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Etymology

Origin of kudzu

from Japanese kuzu

Explanation

Kudzu is a fast-growing vine that has a tendency to crowd out other plants and take over. It's really hard to get rid of kudzu once it's established itself in your yard — better call in a professional gardener. Kudzu is native to various parts of Asia, where it's used to protect soil from erosion and harvested for animal and human food, medicine, and basket making. In the 1930s, U.S. farmers began using kudzu to stop erosion, but it spread so rapidly and intensively that it was quickly labeled an invasive weed. Ever since, kudzu has appeared along highways and roads, and crept into yards and gardens throughout North America.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kudzu

In those days, there was a local committee seeking to get rid of kudzu, an invasive plant that blankets much of the rural South.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

I was drawn to one in particular, a crumbling two-story structure collapsing under the kudzu.

From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2023

And kudzu vines from Japan planted to stabilize soils have spread to dozens of states where they choke out other plants.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2023

The brilliant-but-troubled detective/cop-with-something-extra procedural has crept over the TV listings like so much kudzu, or, to be more local, bougainvillea — lovely to look at in many places but increasingly familiar in form and hue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2022

This part of South Carolina seemed to consist mostly of overgrown fields, punctuated by telephone poles and trees covered in kudzu vines.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan