Search: kudzu
Why: Someone told me that a long time ago. I saw some today on the Santa Monica Freeway. Zack doesn't know what it is.
Answer: It grows up to 1 ft per day during summer months, climbing trees, power poles, mailboxes, trucks, and concrete. Under ideal conditions (like the Southeastern US), it can grow up to 60 ft a year and look like the Grim Reaper:
Source: The Amazing Story of Kudzu
The More You Know: Kudzu was introduced to the US in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Invited to build an exhibit, the Japanese government constructed a beautiful garden featuring the vine. American gardeners began to use it for ornamental purposes and soon noticed that animals would eat the leaves. Kudzu was also advertised and sold to prevent erosion. Now it covers over 7 million acres in the deep South and takes up to 10 years to kill. Some herbicides actually make it grow faster.
