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Re: [OM] [OT] Kudzu pics

Subject: Re: [OM] [OT] Kudzu pics
From: "Tom Scales" <tscales@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 21:45:53 -0500
Well, this is what Britannica says:

kudzu vine

(Pueraria lobata, or P. thunbergiana), twining perennial vine that is a
member of a genus belonging to the family Leguminosae. The kudzu is a
fast-growing, woody, somewhat hairy vine that may grow to a length of 18 m
(60 feet) in one season. It has large leaves, long racemes with
late-blooming reddish purple flowers, and flat, hairy seed pods. The plant
is native to China and Japan, where it was long grown for its edible,
starchy roots and for a fibre made from its stems. The kudzu was
transplanted to North America with the intention of using it to anchor steep
banks of soil and thereby prevent erosion. The plant has become a rampant
weed in parts of the southeastern United States, however, since it readily
spreads over trees and shrubs as well as exposed soil. The kudzu vine is a
useful fodder crop for livestock, however, as well as an attractive
ornamental. Northern winters tend to kill the plant's stems but allow the
roots to survive.

Seems like they're probably related (or possibly the same...)


<snip>

> =====================================================================
> I agree, Tom, they are good shots. They show very clearly what the
> dreaded kudzu looks like and how it takes over. I remember a very
> photogenic strip of rain forest in Narrabeen, one of Sydney's Northern
> Beach suburbs, on either side of the Wakehurst Parkway. It was covered
> in an ivy-like parasitic creeper that looked very similar to the kudzu
> in Mike's pics. Does anyone know if the'yre the same or related? I
> could well believe it because certain shrubs that grow at a manageable
> rate in cooler countries tend to go out of control in Australia. A good
> example is privet, used for hedges in the UK but considered a noxious
> weed in Oz.
>
> Regards,
>
> =====
> Ray
>
> "The trouble with resisting temptation is
>  you never know when you'll get another chance!"
>



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