Kudzu
In Southern speech, "kudzu" means more than a plant - it’s the vine that covers trees, barns, and fence rows all across the South. Introduced for erosion control, it grew so fast it earned the nickname "the vine that ate the South."
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Oh 'kudzu' is dern near everywhere. Hillbilly Dude Says...
Oh 'kudzu' is dern near everywhere. Pronunciation
[KUD-zoo]
Meaning & Usage
- A fast-growing invasive vine (noun)
Mae:
What’s all that green coverin’ them trees?
What’s all that green coverin’ them trees?
Earl:
That’s kudzu - takes over everything.
That’s kudzu - takes over everything.- A symbol of the South (noun, figurative)
Mae:
Seen much of the South yet?
Seen much of the South yet?
Earl:
If you seen kudzu, you seen plenty.
If you seen kudzu, you seen plenty.variations: the vine that ate the South, creeping vine, cover crop, kudzu-covered hill, barn’s swallowed in kudzu, kudzu all down the roadside
★ Kudzu can grow a foot a day in warm weather. Folks joke that if you stop moving, it’ll climb you, too. ★
Origin and Etymology
Kudzu was brought from Asia in the late 1800s and planted widely in the South during the 1930s-40s to fight soil erosion. It thrived in the hot, humid climate, spreading far beyond control. Southerners turned it into a lasting image of the region.
Usage Notes
Kudzu is most strongly associated with the American South, where it covers millions of acres. It’s known elsewhere in the U.S., but outside the South people usually know it only by reputation.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "cud-zoo." Always two syllables, never "kood-zoo."