This native of China and Japan was part of the Japanese plant exhibit at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Planting kudzu to control erosion was once encouraged in the United States but the vine soon caused serious problems. It is sometimes called "foot-a-night-vine," or "the vine that ate the South," because it can grow up to 30 centimeters (about one ft.) per day and covers everything in its path—trees, buildings, utility poles, and power lines. It smothers trees and other plants and its dark shade prevents re-growth by native plants. Once established along forest edges, thick blankets of kudzu will eventually smother and kill even the tallest trees.