Devoured

The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South

Ayurella Horn-Muller

• Publisher: LSU Press
• Year: 2024
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9780807182390
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Biological Sciences

Honorable mention for the American Botanical Council's James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Awards Kudzu abounds across the American South. Introduced in the United States in the 1800s as a solution for soil erosion, this invasive vine with Eastern Asian origins came to be known as a pernicious invader capable of smothering everything in its path. To many, the plant's enduring legacy has been its villainous role as the "vine that ate the South." But for a select few, it has begun to signify something else entirely. In its roots, a network of people scattered across the country see a chance at redemption—and an opportunity to rewrite a fragment of troubled history. Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South detangles the complicated story of the South's fickle relationship with kudzu, chronicling the ways the boundless weed has evolved over centuries, and dissecting what climate change could mean for its future across the United States. From architecture teams experimenting with it as a sustainable building material, to clinical applications treating binge-drinking, to chefs harvesting it as a wild edible, environmental journalist Ayurella Horn-Muller spotlights how kudzu's notorious reputation in America is gradually being cast aside in favor of its promise.Weaving careful research with personal stories, Horn-Muller investigates how kudzu morphed from a miraculous agricultural solution to the monstrous archetypal foe of the southern landscape. Devoured is a poignant narrative of belonging, racial ambiguity, outsiders and insiders, and the path from universal acceptance to undesirability. It is a deeply reported exploration of the landscapes that host the many species we fight to control. Above all, Devoured is an ode to the earth around us—a quest for meaning in today's imperiled world.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 A Grand Debut
• 2 Portal into the Past
• 3 Kudzu versus the South
• 4 Beauty from the Beast
• 5 Forest to Fork
• 6 Collecting and Connecting
• 7 A House Is But a Home
• 8 Road to Recovery
• 9 Got Goats?
• 10 Missing in Action
• 11 Carbon Conundrum
• 12 Condemned
• 13 Man of the Hour
• 14 Aliens in America
• 15 Am I Invasive?
• A Note from the Author
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index
• Photographs