kudzu

noun

An East Asian vine (Pueraria lobata) in the pea family, having compound leaves and clusters of reddish-purple flowers. It is grown for fodder, forage, and root starch, and is a widespread weed in the southeast United States.

noun

An Asian vine grown as a root starch and sometimes considered a noxious weed.

noun

fast-growing vine from eastern Asia having tuberous starchy roots and hairy trifoliate leaves and racemes of purple flowers followed by long hairy pods containing many seeds; grown for fodder and forage and root starch; widespread in the southern United States