there was a disscusion awhile back on the blooms of kudzu and i never knew it bloomed until that thread. but today i saw a wall of kudzu blooms.
i picked this one to smell it and take its pic as they are sorta buried by the leaves.
they smell like grape dimatapp( kids cold med)
its an awful vine but the smell of the flowers was just great. but wouldnt wish this plant on anyone or anything.
I make Jelly from the blooms...and can not keep it, due to family members swiping it. It is WONDEFUL!!!!
But that is about all it is good for..ha ha
I think the flowers smell like Grape NEHI soda
are there regulations against this plant in california?
gosh i could take pics of this stuff en gulfing trees here. its such a pretty bloom for such a bad plant.
i heard today from a friend there is a varigated type the nursery here is selling. might have to go look into this one. says its suppose d to be less invasive.
My Wisteria is also considered invasive...and the Popcorn trees that come up almost weekly in my yard...but if you do any yard work...I figure...you trim and cut every week...so just snip a little extra, and mow like you always do, and you can pretty much keep things in control.
BTW...the popcorn trees came from one my neighbor planted...she blessed me with trees...anyone need one? They are actually really nice trees. And AWESOME colors in the fall!!!! Beautiful heart shaped leaves all summer long!!
This message was edited Aug 24, 2005 11:23 PM
I've heard that you can eat Kudzu. Have you ever tried it? Also I know it's invasive but truely you don't think it would survive a Minnesota winter? Somethings that go nuts down south like Lonicera japonica we can't even baby enough to make it through a winter.
If anyone would like to trade something for Kudzu I'd like some. Or just eat some and let me know what it tastes like.
that's what i mean... i have four-o-clocks from previous owners everywhere forever, but as long as it's something i can keep in check i'd like to try it out.
I will dig you up some and send it for postage....GRIKDOG...but you have to PROMISE you will not hate me ...or hold it against me if it takes over your yard, house, car, kids, neighbors....ect ect ect
I'm telling you the jelly I make from the blooms is out of this world!!!!
Just remember...this could be in your near future!!
Another bloom picture
blckwolf can i have some, too?
imzadi...here is another pic. of the popcorn tree
naien and grikdog you both have dmail!!
I would encourage you, Naien, to make sure that you are not committing a crime by importing this species. There is a big difference between INVASIVE and AGGRESSIVE plants. Four-O'-Clocks will disappear completely if you pull them up before they flower for one or two years. Wisteria is usually classified as aggressive because it has a hard time naturalizing into the surrounding wild areas.. though as you go further south it becomes increasingly invasive. Kudzu is invasive anywhere it is hardy. It will always spread into natural areas via bird dispersal and always completely engulf all other vegetation eventually killing whatever was growing in its wake. And as the Southeast can attest, eradication is not a feasible solution anymore. I think by weight there is more Kudzu than people in the South.
Please do not trade this plant. Kudzu was one of the worst mistakes in US horticultural history, let's not make it worse. And really, this is a big issue, please don't shrug off truly invasive species as though they were merely garden thugs/aggressives.
Grikdog I'm not worried about, I'm fairly sure your winters will keep it in check.
If anyone has any questions about what it means to be invasive vs. aggressive I can try to answer them, by d-mail or here.
And I promise not to get "preachy" or to "lecture" you.
even if i keep it in a pot on my back porch? on concrete? and if i'm eating the flowers it's not going to spread by seed.
http://invader.dbs.umt.edu/scripts/esrimap.dll?name=Noxious_map&Plant_Name=kudzu&submit1=Submit&Choice=2&CMD=Map
only 5 states have it listed as a noxious weed according to this UofM sponsored service.
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=noxious.cgi
PLANTS says 10, none of them california.
This message was edited Aug 25, 2005 10:38 AM
I live in the south and have seen how invasive/ agressive Kudzu can be. I think you'll be sorry you ever seen it if you get it.
The way you describe growing it certainly sounds safe. If it were my choice though I'd want this plant far away from where I lived. But then again I have that pesky nagging 'better safe than sorry' mentality across the board. Yeah. Sometimes it lacks in the fun department.
I got a d-mail from grikdog who has found it on the federal list, though I've been having trouble doing the same. Grikdog, how about a link for us? Federal listing would make it illegal to transmit the plant across any state lines.
I've got a thing for strange/forgotten/traditional edible plants too, and I understand this is pretty frustrating. Especially since I do recall the flowers smelling wonderful, wish I had known about the jelly while I was in Virginia. But there are even more issues with this plant than it being invasive in and of itself; it also harbors a soybean rust (thanks for that info, Grikdog) which would probably be nasty for farmers where kudzu currently does not grow.
It's not as easy as it should be to get the real deal on some of the invasives out there, but hopefully DG and other gardening communities will help ensure that gardening doesn't contribute to the displacement (or loss) of native species/environments due to the spread of invasives.
Thanks for taking the time to read and to do the research,
Byron.
This message was edited Aug 26, 2005 6:39 AM
I couldn't find it at the APHIS site but when I was looking at Minnesota regulations it is designated as FN or on the Federal Noxious Weed list. Bummer.
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/ecological_services/invasives/weedlist.pdf
the updated list for aphis is here: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/weeds/noxiousweedlist.txt
not listing kudzu and the state laws including kudzu bans are listed here: http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant_profile.cgi?symbol=PUMOL
there are only 11 states ]making it illegal for import.
I can't find the articule i read yersterday but apparently the USDA takes some plants as federal noxious weeds, and those are listed in the APHIS list, those that aren't are left up to state legislations to keep out of their states if they deem it necessary. That Minnesota list was compiled in 99, APHIS updates whenever a new plant is added to the list. I find it strange that they would list it as a FN when the USDA site doesn't even list it as a FN. The article i read yesterday went into detail about describing the difference between "noxious weeds" as a specification of law and "noxious weed" as a description of a plant characteristic. If i lived in georgia i might have just taken your word for it and let it slide but i really want some! hahaha
thanks for reading my rambling
scott
I called APHIS and naien is basically correct. The MN DNR information is out of date. I will paraphrase but basically what the APHIS guy told me is that when congress redid the regulations they left out KUDZU because the battle was already lost. So we were not breaking any federal laws.
you all should check this website out www.jjanthony.com/kudzu/ this stuff is pretty amazing and scary.
i have indeed seen that site but i do not live in the US southeast so none of it really strikes me as threatening. is that foolish? maybe. i still want to get some and try it out.
scott
This message was edited Aug 26, 2005 9:57 AM
How would you keep a plant in a pot if its growth is measured in feet per day? Seems a bit unrealistic to me...
Personally I think the only zone that one *might* be safe in is mine (and lower) ..... winters here hit -30 to -50F below. So many invasive plants adapt and that one is downright scary.
i have an expansive concrete patio in my backyard and i highly doubt anything is going to grow feet per day if in a ten gallon pot...
It may surprise you and you wake up one morning and can't move because it has engulfed you and your home. LOL It's wicked here in North Carolina.
i posted something else about Kudzu as i thought it was funny.
it will take over and is so hard to get rid of.
shoot i like the bloom but in no way do i want it near my house!!! whats the old poem close your windows at night or it will come in.
i believe it. and with all the rain we have had wow!!!
Well, you do seem to be within your rights to bring the green plague to your coast, though a couple of thoughts cross my mind, one is that the noxious weed lists are in place in most states for plants that are already there. There were a couple of environmentally conscious states that added it but I think most of them have it as a problem. So it doesn't do too much good to list it as a noxious weed if the lists only include plants that are already a problem. Sortof like.. there's no law in Australia saying you have to wear sunscreen.. but if you don't you basically will eventually have skin cancer.
And the other thought is a line from a movie that I can't remember the name of or even the plot, it was probably something sci-fi genetic manipulation based, the line went something like this; "We were so caught up with whether we could that we didn't think about whether or not we should." Hindsight is 20/20 thing. Since you are intent on trying this despite many testimonials from people who have to live with this vine I would say you should not give any cuttings away, and be very certain to collect the flowers as soon as they bloom. The only other thing I can think is keep it in the center of your property (there are plenty of people willing to take a little cutting of someone else's plants) and make sure to look for broken branches around your yard after storms.
And really, last time, it is a bad idea.. Though the jelly sounds fantastic, I will admit. Foolish though isn't the word I'd use, mine's a less negative word but I think more poignant, it's "shortsighted." I hope you have good luck (though I hope even more that you'll have a hard time convincing any gardeners to send you any!)
Cheers,
Byron.
In an abandoned mill town further along the river near which we live, are a few ruins of stone churches perched on top of the hills. Beyond one of them was a vast circle of mountain laurel, and in some years lady slippers (a kind of terrestrial orchid) bloomed in a few patches beneath them. Someone planted kudzu on the slope beneath them. Guess which one won?
That something as lovely as a lady slipper could exist at all is a miracle. Humans may not deliberately plan to wipe out habitats and native species in them, but the chain of "accidental" events that led from the first kudzu coming to America's shores to the obliteration of this circle of laurel and lady slippers in Maryland somehow seems inevitable.
Why be part of that inevitability?
i hate the stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
its everywhere. you go down our roads and see where they burn part of it just so we can drive. it looks awful and in NO WAY FRIENDLY!!!!!!!
i started the thread to show a pretty bloom of an ugly destructive plant!!!!
i can take pics of what it does to things but the site above show it all.
PLease consider these things before anyonme ships this stuff. ITS AWFUL!!!!!!!
Gosh Scott, please do not bring it into our state. It would go nuts here and ruin it. What a horrible plant. I understand you just cannot get rid of it no matter what you do. I can't believe California doesn't have laws against it.
Darwin ESF,
I really appreciate your post. I'm big on native plants but it never even crossed my mind that introducing invasive plants like kudzu has some serious environmental repurcussions. I just thought of them as pests and nuisances to gardeners, nothing more.
Just incase anyone is wondering.....I did not ship to either of them...well not the plant. I sent each one of them some Jelly!! I am very sorry if I upset anyone.
Sue
OH...one more thing. Last year and again this year we have used ROUND UP for brush and vines to keep it in check. We use it once a month and have stopped it from crossing the fence to the East of us...to the west of us, our neighbors have a mini donkey and pygmy goats...no kudzu. Behind us...it started crossing the fence and we keep it sprayed as well. In the back area we do have an area with kudzu. It covers an huge old fallen tree in a ravine. We have a family of bunnies living in it. The dragonflys seem to love it too. So I let it grow there and just use the round up where I dont want it...and from time to time, take the wild runners and throw them back up on the kudzu mound. so far it is in control.
This message was edited Aug 29, 2005 7:03 AM
This message was edited Sep 1, 2005 10:27 PM
