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CEGL003882 Pueraria montana var. lobata Ruderal Vine-Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Kudzu Ruderal Vine-Shrubland
Colloquial Name: Ruderal Kudzu Vineland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This vine-dominated vegetation is dominated by Pueraria montana var. lobata, a fast-growing vine native to Asia. The species was introduced into the United States in 1885, primarily as an ornamental and as a potential source for cattle forage. It was subsequently widely used for erosion control in the southeastern United States. This association occupies a variety of sites throughout most physiographic provinces in the Southeast, ranging in size from less than a hectare to 5-10 hectares or more. It chokes out existing vegetation. Edges of examples of this vegetation may consist of small to large trees in the process of being overwhelmed by kudzu. More than 2 million acres of forest land in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina are estimated to be infested with kudzu. This association is also known to occur north to central Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland, and as far west as eastern Texas and Oklahoma.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Pueraria montana var. lobata, native to Asia, was introduced into the United States in 1885, primarily as an ornamental and as a potential source for cattle forage. More than 2 million acres of forest land in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina are estimated to be infested with kudzu.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This vine-dominated vegetation is dominated by Pueraria montana var. lobata, a fast-growing vine native to Asia.
Dynamics: This association chokes out existing vegetation.
Environmental Description: The association occupies a variety of sites throughout most physiographic provinces in the southeastern U.S., with examples ranging in size from less than one hectare to 5-10 hectares or more. It occurs on disturbed sites, including abandoned town sites and mine lands and on landslides. It chokes out existing vegetation. Edges of examples of this vegetation may consist of small to large trees in the process of being overwhelmed by kudzu. In West Virginia, Pueraria montana var. lobata may be limited in its ability to spread due to relatively cold climate.
Geographic Range: This vegetation is known to occur in the southeastern United States from central Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland, south through Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama to Florida and west through Mississippi and Louisiana to eastern Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma (Edwards 1982).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683332
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNA
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nh Southeastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D102 | 2.B.2.Nh |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nh.90 Broomsedge Bluestem - Blackberry species - Annual Ragweed Southeastern Ruderal Grassland & Shrubland Macrogroup | M307 | 2.B.2.Nh.90 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nh.90.a Broomsedge Bluestem - Annual Ragweed - Sawtooth Blackberry Ruderal Grassland & Shrubland Group | G583 | 2.B.2.Nh.90.a |
| Alliance | A4082 Kudzu - Chinese Wisteria Exotic Ruderal Vine-Shrubland Alliance | A4082 | 2.B.2.Nh.90.a |
| Association | CEGL003882 Kudzu Ruderal Vine-Shrubland | CEGL003882 | 2.B.2.Nh.90.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Kudzu thicket (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
- CAP [Central Appalachian Forest Working Group]. 1998. Central Appalachian Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.
- Coxe, R. 2009. Guide to Delaware vegetation communities. Spring 2009 edition. State of Delaware, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Smyrna.
- Edwards, M. B. 1982. Kudzu--ecological friend or foe: Pueraria lobata in the southern United States. Proceedings of the Southern Weed Science Society 35:232-236.
- Fleming, G. P., and P. P. Coulling. 2001. Ecological communities of the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Preliminary classification and description of vegetation types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 317 pp.
- GNHP [Georgia Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. Georgia Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle.
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- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Vanderhorst, J. P., J. Jeuck, and S. C. Gawler. 2007. Vegetation classification and mapping of New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR-2007/092. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. 396 pp.
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