The highly invasive kudzu vine has been discovered in Ontario. It was confirmed as kudzu growing on the shores of Lake Erie, near Leamington.

The vine was discovered by officials of the Ministry of Natural Resources, while doing field work in the area. It was reported that the population was well established and is estimated to have been present for several years.

It is felt that with early detection, unlike previous invaders, such as dog strangling vine, there is the potential to eradicate kudzu to protect Ontario’s biodiversity. Controlling this menace is critical to maintaining native plants and wildlife habitat. If allowed to become established, kudzu could cause untold ecological and economic damage.

Kudzu vine (Pueraria montana) is a semi-woody, perennial, vine that is native to eastern Asia. It was first introduced in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia as an ornamental (Bell and Wilson 1989, Shores 1997). Developed for use as forage in the 1920s in Florida, it was promoted in the 1930s by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service for erosion control. From early 1950s, it was no longer advocated by U.S. Department of Agriculture, and in 1972 was declared an invasive weed.

The plant forms large impenetrable masses, growing over woody vegetation and able to completely envelop a tree, killing it by shutting out all light. A recent study conducted from University of Toronto discovered that Kudzu can grow from three to 19 cm per day. It is widely naturalized in the U.S., especially throughout the Southeast, north to Illinois and Massachusetts and west to Texas and Oklahoma; estimated to cover 810,000 ha (two-million acres) of forest land in the South. It has also invaded South Africa, Malaysia, and Western Pacific Island.

Control measures include hand-cutting, mowing, controlled burns and herbicide. Grazing animals, such as goats and pigs have also been effective at containing the spread of the vine over the long term. Now that kudzu is confirmed as an invader, the CFIA, OMAFRA and MNR are aware of the problem. Officials will meet to determine what will be the action and which agency will be responsible to address the kudzu problem in Southern Ontario.