Pueraria montana var. lobata

It is called gé () in Chinese, in Japanese, and chik () or gal () in Korean. == Description ==

The Japanese arrowroot, Pueraria montana var. lobata, is a stoloniferous, semi-woody perennial plant that was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. This climbing vine has a growth rate of 1 ft per day and can rapidly outgrow native vegetation, trees, and other plants by completely covering plants and hindering their access to a light source. Pueraria montana also has large tuberous roots that take up more than half of its biomass Vine growth is multi-directional and has a growth rate of 18 m per season which begins at the root crown where vine nodes meet the soil. P. montana also has trifoliate compound leaves with 3 lobe-shaped leaflets and are produced during the blooming season that occurs from July to September. This vine is also capable of growing fruit that are clustered, seed-containing pods covered in distinct hair-like structures. == Invasive status ==

Pueraria montana var. lobata is a highly invasive species that grows by smothering all other vegetation around it and climbing over seedlings and mature trees. This in turn can kill the smothered plants and impact their mutualistic interactions with other neighboring plants and animals. Infestations of P. montana can decrease biodiversity of various types of plants, animals, and insects that can all be affected by the reduction and killing of natives. This twining vine can also readily invade disturbed and abandoned areas, as well as natural habitats by girdling the trunks of trees and stems reinforced with wood. Due to the tension created from the twining of vines, trees can be tied together and potentially pulled down as the vines wrap around the overall structure of the trees. In addition, the root system of P. montana is leguminous in nature because it helps to enrich the soil through its association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, but once the plant has infested a particular habitat its rapid growth can be difficult to control. According to Kato-Noguchi (2023), the fixed nitrogen of P. montana cannot only be transferred into the soil, but when in high concentrations, it is capable of leaching into various bodies of water and may impact aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, this invasive species can also biosynthesize isoprene that gets released into the atmosphere in large amounts and can in turn influence air quality. == Reproduction ==

Pueraria montana mainly spreads by vegetative propagation via rhizomes, runners, and can produce new plants at the nodes of roots. This perennial plant can also reproduce using sexual reproduction which occurs via insect pollination with bees or other pollinators although seed production and viability is low. == Growth and habitat ==

P. montana has a wide range of natural habitats including mixed forests, areas made up of shrubs, alongside the edges of bodies of water, as well as abandoned or disturbed areas. == Management and control ==

Prevention efforts are typically not completely successful and eradication efforts can be expensive and complex processes. Efficiency of control methods depend on the size of the infestation, proximity to desirable or native species, and accessibility of the infesting patch. Pueraria montana var. lobata exhibits various reproductive pathways which makes it more difficult to control its dispersal. Nevertheless, there are numerous methods utilized to control the spread of Pueraria montana var. lobata, including herbicide application, mowing, grazing, burning, and biological control. Herbicide applications have effectively produced high destruction rates, leading to decreased infestations and lower management costs, particularly when applied annually. It was found that damage to aboveground plant parts reduces the ability of new plants to produce and store carbohydrates, thus reducing its competitive ability. Mowing is effective for reducing the height of the plants, but is more effective for eradication when used as a precursor to herbicide application. However, mowing can potentially spread portions of Kudzu vines to other areas where it can form a new plant. Eradication by grazing is a lengthy process and can take multiple years and requires a heavy grazing rotation and efforts to concentrate grazing on only Kudzu plants. To prevent re-growth, all root tissue must be destroyed, which can be difficult due to deeply buried root systems. == Distribution ==

The plant is native to East Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea), the Russian Far East, Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam), and the Pacific (New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu). == Uses ==

Pueraria montana var. lobata has several practical applications, as well as uses in medicine and cosmetics. More than 70 phytochemical are present in Kudzu root, with the major groups being isoflavonoids and triterpenoids with their glycosides. The chemical components of both root and flower are useful for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The leaves of Kudzu plants can be consumed as vegetables and are high in triterpenoid saponins and isoflavones, Pueraria montana var. lobata also has hepatoprotective properties and can be used in combination with other botanical drugs to enhance the effects of treating acute liver injury. Phytochemical compounds that are present in Pueraria montana var. lobata, particularly flavonoid compounds, which are widely used ingredients for cosmetics, prove Kudzu to be a potential source for bioactive compounds in future cosmetic applications. Other studies have shown the potential of phytochemicals to participate in skin regeneration by promoting migration, proliferation, and collagen synthesis and thereby promoting skin pro-inflammatory activity and epithelialization which results in skin regeneration and healing. Additionally, research has been done to examine the use of Pueraria montana var. lobata nanocellulose as a sustainable packaging material. Researchers found that isolated kudzu cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a suitable reinforcing material for nanocomposites. However, further research is necessary to determine sustainable CNC extraction methods. The starch powder made from the East Asian arrowroot is called kudzu powder. Kudzu powder is used to make arrowroot tea in traditional medicines of China, Japan and Korea (in Korea the root unprepared is also used). The production of this powder in Japan was concentrated among the Kuzu () people who once lived along the Yoshino River in Nara Prefecture, which gave the plant its Japanese (and later loaned into English kudzu) name. File:Chik 2.jpg|East Asian arrowroot. File:Chikcha.jpg|Arrowroot tea. File:140614 Yagyu Iris Garden Nara Japan07s.jpg|Kuzumochi made using kudzu powder. == References ==