Kudzu is the notorious "vine that ate the South" — a semi-woody perennial vine from East Asia (accepted name Pueraria montana var. lobata; Pueraria lobata is the widely-used synonym) that is one of the most destructive invasive plants in North America. This is a do-NOT-plant entry, included only as a warning. In warm, humid climates a single vine can grow up to a foot a day and tens of feet in a season, twining over and SMOTHERING shrubs, fences, power poles, whole trees, and entire hillsides under a dense blanket of three-part leaves until everything beneath it is shaded out and killed. It spreads by deep tuberous roots, by stems that root wherever a node touches the ground, and by seed, making established infestations extraordinarily hard to eradicate. It is a listed noxious or invasive weed across much of the southeastern United States and is illegal to plant or sell in many states. There is no legitimate garden use case. Its late-summer flowers do feed bees, and its starchy roots and young leaves have a long food history in East Asia — but neither fact changes the answer: do not plant kudzu. For a vine on an arbor, fence, or trellis, plant a native climber instead — American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), or coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).

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