Pueraria lobata Seeds | Kudzu
LATIN NAME: Pueraria lobata
COMMON NAME: Kudzu
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) stands out as a vigorous, twining, perennial in the pea family (Fabaceae), native to southern Japan and southeast China. Kudzu is deep-green curtain of warm slopes, and small, purple, pea-like flowers open in long racemes through late summer. It is a vine of open, sunny, deep, well-drained ground. The flowering period doubles as a feeding season for bees and other pollinators. The ratio of effort to reward here is about as good as gardening gets.
Science & Biotechnology
The species features in the wider study of the pea family, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. Centuries of cultivation have left a detailed record of how it grows and behaves.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Kudzu for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Kudzu is a fine, historic vine of study collection and old garden. Vine feeds soil with nitrogen and covers steep banks with deep-green curtain, best kept to places where spread is welcome. Keep vine to fence or trellis and cut it back through season to hold the spread. Given the right start, it carries on with minimal intervention.
Kudzu root, Ge Gen, is a major Chinese herb for thirst, neck tension and fever, and its isoflavone puerarin is extensively studied for cardiovascular and alcohol-metabolism effects; in the kitchen it yields a fine thickening starch.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Kudzu, and the process is uncomplicated. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Given the right start, Kudzu is a long-term garden companion. Careful watering early on is rewarded by toughness at maturity.
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