Flower profile

Kudzu

Pueraria montana

Introduced in the lower 48

Kudzu is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in July–September.

30states

4of our state lists

12,552U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina

Quick look

Pueraria montana, more commonly known as kudzu, is a species of plant in the botanical family Fabaceae. At least three sub-species are known. It is closely related to other species in the genus Pueraria and the common name is used for all of these species and hybrids between them.
From Wikipedia's article Pueraria montana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a vine with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 30 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. ^NatureServe
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–September. ^iNaturalist
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–September. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,019 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #27 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,212 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #22 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,496 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #23 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

Kudzu gift ideas

Handmade kudzu gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Kudzu art print
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Kudzu greeting card
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Kudzu mug
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Kudzu earrings
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Kudzu embroidery pattern
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Kudzu sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (393 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
North Carolina	Introduced	July–September	4,019
Georgia	Introduced	July–September	2,212
Alabama	Introduced	June–September	1,496
South Carolina	Introduced	few records	725

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Alabama.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in South Carolina.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records kudzu in 30 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alamance, Alleghany, Anson, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland, Dare, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Haywood, Hoke, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Orange, Person, Pitt, Richmond, Rowan, Scotland, Swain, Union, Wake.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Bartow, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Coweta, Crisp, Dawson, Decatur, Elbert, Forsyth, Fulton, Grady, Habersham, Harris, Macon, Madison, Meriwether, Morgan, Murray, Rabun, Troup, Walton, Worth.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Wilcox, Winston.