In Georgia, the legend says
That you must close your windows
At night to keep it out of the house.
The glass is tinged with green, even so...
From the poem, "Kudzu,"
by James Dickey
I first took notice of this vine when we were driving to South Carolina from the Atlanta airport to begin searching for a house. We were moving from Indiana to either Georgia or South Carolina, we hadn't decided yet. Driving along I85, heading north I saw fields and fields of this vine literally eating forests, telephone poles, signage, and anything else it could grasp ahold of. I know from reading about it that people have a love/hate relationship with Kudzu in the South. They either love it or hate it. Personally I think it is beautiful. It makes forests along the interstate look like tropical jungles. I try not to think how it is killing the trees it is climbing and just enjoy the view.
I took this picture along I85 somewhere between Atlanta and Anderson, South Carolina...
Kudzu is a native vine of Japan and China. It was brought to the US in 1876 as an ornamental plant. later, it was used to prevent erosion along roads and highways. It grows approximately 1 foot a day and is almost impossible to kill. Livestock like to eat it, it has culinary uses and even medicinal uses. In 1972 it was declared a weed and now has been a nuisance to southerners.
It hasn't bothered me yet but then again, I don't have it growing in my yard. I hope I never do! I will admire it from afar.
That you must close your windows
At night to keep it out of the house.
The glass is tinged with green, even so...
From the poem, "Kudzu,"
by James Dickey
I first took notice of this vine when we were driving to South Carolina from the Atlanta airport to begin searching for a house. We were moving from Indiana to either Georgia or South Carolina, we hadn't decided yet. Driving along I85, heading north I saw fields and fields of this vine literally eating forests, telephone poles, signage, and anything else it could grasp ahold of. I know from reading about it that people have a love/hate relationship with Kudzu in the South. They either love it or hate it. Personally I think it is beautiful. It makes forests along the interstate look like tropical jungles. I try not to think how it is killing the trees it is climbing and just enjoy the view.
I took this picture along I85 somewhere between Atlanta and Anderson, South Carolina...
Kudzu is a native vine of Japan and China. It was brought to the US in 1876 as an ornamental plant. later, it was used to prevent erosion along roads and highways. It grows approximately 1 foot a day and is almost impossible to kill. Livestock like to eat it, it has culinary uses and even medicinal uses. In 1972 it was declared a weed and now has been a nuisance to southerners.
It hasn't bothered me yet but then again, I don't have it growing in my yard. I hope I never do! I will admire it from afar.
Here is a house in Seneca, South Carolina covered by Kudzu. You can see lots of other pictures like this at Jack Anthony's website.
There is a history and whole list of websites with uses for Kudzu at this website if you would like to learn more or see more pictures. I just thought I'd try to edumacate you Yankees who read this. If ya come down to visit I might even fry some up for y'all!
5 comments:
One foot a day? Yikes! Sounds like a hard plant to tame!
Believe it or not - I miss seeing kudzu........
Kudzu has always intrigued but like you, I admire it from afar ... and i've never been brave enough to try kudzu jelly or bread or anything else made from it!
That sounds like something out of a Stephen King novel! I agree, nice to admire from afar.
It has been found that extract of the roots from the kudzu creeper had a potential to curtail unfavourable signs of metabolic syndrome. It has been experimented on rats and no side-effects has been found. But since it still not been experimented on humans, scientists have not yet recommended it for people.
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