ABSTRACT
Kudzu (P. montana var. lobata), tropical kudzu (P. phaseoloides), and their relatives are classified in the genus Pueraria that belongs to the subtribe Glycininae of the tribe Phaseoleae in the subfamily Papilionoideae of the legume family, the Leguminosae. This large important family, containing some 18000 species or 8 per cent of all flowering plant species, is generally well recognizable. The fruit is a legume, a pod, resulting from a superior ovary developing into a bivalved usually dehiscent structure, such as beans and pea pods. The pod is known in a multitude of shapes, from tiny rounded structures containing one seed, to large woody legumes up to 2 m long and 10 to 20 cm wide, the latter in fact the longest fruit structures in the world. The Papilionoideae are characterized by the zygomorph papilionoid flower, a derived structure quite specialized for insect pollination.
