kudzu vine

American  

[kood-zoo] / ˈkʊd zu /

noun

1. a fast-growing Chinese and Japanese climbing vine, Pueraria lobata, of the legume family, now widespread in the southern U.S., having tuberous, starchy roots and stems: used for fiber, as food and forage, and to prevent soil erosion.

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Etymology

Origin of kudzu vine

1900–05; < Japanese kuzu, earlier kudu, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

You might say he hit the invasive exotic trifecta, because he also sent us the all-consuming oriental bittersweet and the lil’ old kudzu vine.

From Washington Post • Aug. 28, 2017

From the kudzu vine to the gypsy moth to the Burmese python surge in the Everglades, we often discover the impact of a species only when it’s too late.

From New York Times • May 30, 2012

For gullies, they described cheap, home-made dams and new plants, such as kudzu vine, to hold the sliding soil.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ever since the Japanese introduced the kudzu vine to America at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, the broad-leafed creeper has been a much maligned nuisance.

From Time Magazine Archive

A kudzu vine keeps out the hot west sun.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, North Carolina Narratives, Part 1 by Various