<P> Kudzu is believed to have originated in Japan, where the ecosystem (primarily the tendency of kudzu to experience above - ground die back over winter) kept the vine from becoming a nuisance, and it is thought to have been introduced to China and likely Korea . </P> <P> In Japan, kudzu thrives in mountainous regions, ranging from the 44th parallel north (the island of Hokkaido) to the 30th parallel north (the island of Kuchinoshima) and many of the lowlands and the islands . In Korea, kudzu grows in areas where the temperature can drop to − 22 ° F (− 30 ° C). </P> <P> The kudzu plant was introduced to the United States from Japan in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia . Kudzu was introduced to the Southeast in 1883 at the New Orleans Exposition . The vine was widely marketed in the Southeast as an ornamental plant to be used to shade porches, and in the first half of the 20th century, kudzu was distributed as a high - protein content cattle fodder and as a cover plant to prevent soil erosion . It was cultivated by Civilian Conservation Corps workers as a solution for the erosion during the Dust Bowl . The Soil Erosion Service recommended the use of kudzu to help control erosion of slopes which led to the government - aided distribution of 85 million seedlings and government - funded plantings of kudzu which paid $19.75 per hectare . By 1946, it was estimated that 1,200,000 hectares (3,000,000 acres) of kudzu had been planted . When boll weevil infestations and the failure of cotton crops caused farmers to abandon their farms, kudzu plantings were left unattended . The climate and environment of the Southeastern United States allowed the kudzu to grow virtually unchecked . In 1953 the United States Department of Agriculture removed kudzu from a list of suggested cover plants and listed it as a weed in 1970 . By 1997, the vine was placed on the "Federal Noxious Weed List". Today, kudzu is estimated to cover 3,000,000 hectares (7,400,000 acres) of land in the southeastern United States, mostly in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Mississippi . It has been recorded in Nova Scotia, Canada, in Columbus, Ohio, and in all five boroughs of New York City . </P> <P> Recent U.S. Forest Service information indicates that kudzu is much less of a problem than previously thought . It shows kudzu to cover 227,000 acres (92,000 ha), with "an increase of no more than 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) a year". This can be compared to invasive Asian privet in the United States, which covers 3,200,000 acres (1,300,000 ha). </P>

Japanese kudzu vine was intentionally brought into the united states to
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