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The mile-a-minute plant: could the ultimate unwanted heirloom plant develop into a million-dollar crop?
James Dickey's wonderful poem "Kudzu" declares: "In Georgia, the legend says that you must close your windows at night to keep it out of the house." This may be true in Mississippi, too. Kudzu, sometimes called the "mile-a-minute plant" or "foot-a-night vine," actually grows almost that fast--up to a foot a day and 100 feet a year.
Driving around the state during the growing season, it's hard to miss the land carpeted with thick layers of green kudzu. Buildings have been totally devoured. Hills are rounded by layers of vines. Poles are bent by their weight.
Kudzu covers an estimated 7 million acres in the United States. South Mississippi alone has 546,000 acres of infested privately owned forestland, causing a loss of $1.62 billion in potential timber sales over the past 30 years. It is in 72 of our 82 counties. According to the Mississippi Kudzu Coalition, made up of 12 agencies focused on reducing kudzu acreage, Mississippi loses $54 million annually to kudzu.
Questions about kudzu often have interesting answers:
Where did kudzu come from, and how did it get to Mississippi?
- KUDZU MARCHES EVER NORTHWARD.(AT HOME)
- Newspaper article from: The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH) December 8, 2001 700+ words
...through the southeastern United States is familiar with kudzu, which spreads its...Natural Resources, kudzu already covers at...acres in the eastern United States. Pfalzbot's plight...that would designate kudzu as a noxious weed...
- Kudzu grows beyond erosion control to help control alcoholism
- Magazine article from: Better Nutrition Dolby, Victoria November 1, 1996 700+ words
The southeastern parts of the United States are reputed to have a love/hate relationship with the kudzu plant. While kudzu has many uses, ranging from controlling...out of control. This aspect of kudzu led the poet James Dickey to write...
- Kudzu: A Tale of Two Vines.(history and environmental benefit)(Statistical Data...
- Magazine article from: Southern Cultures Alderman, Derek H. Alderman, Donna G'Segner September 22, 2001 700+ words
...River Plantation. This dense kudzu canopy gave area teenagers the...Arguably, the most influential kudzu promoter was the United States government, particularly the...established programs to plant kudzu throughout the S
- Kudzu.(herbal tree)
- Magazine article from: Faces: People, Places, and Cultures O'Meara, Donna April 1, 2007 700+ words
...researching natural predators for eradicating kudzu. Researchers have discovered a fungus...and offers a promise of relief from kudzu. Kudzu has infested more than 7 million acres of land in the United States. The pesky vine grows as far north...
- Kudzu.com Enhances User Experience by Integrating with Facebook(R) Platform.
- Press release article from: PR Newswire February 17, 2009 700+ words
...friends will appear on the My Kudzu page, once the accounts are...When a user writes a review on Kudzu, they will have the option...most trafficked website in the United States. In 2007, Facebook launched...into participating sites like Kudzu using their already established...
- Invasion of the South: Kudzu is taking over.
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune July 21, 2005 700+ words
...epidemic." But for some kudzu aficionados it's a life's calling. Kudzu, an Asian vine that has...it was introduced in the United States, has been an object of fascination...Constitution, championed the kudzu cause, once declaring...
- Kudzu could be da vine.
- Newspaper article from: Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) June 30, 2007 700+ words
...and turbulent history with kudzu. Since 1999 he has battled...hundred years, he lost. The Kudzu vine, which was introduced...of land in the southeastern United States, according to www.kudzufree...into a patch of weeds anyway. Kudzu is a plant. It's full of...
- Kudzu makes surprise appearance in Kansas City.
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Graham, Bill September 6, 2004 700+ words
...officials were not aware of kudzu in the area until veteran employee...infestation covering the lines. Kudzu, a legume, was once planted...such as in the southeastern United States where its invasion of natural...BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM) The kudzu vines found in Kansas City...
