the vine that ate the South

Kudzu, eat it or wear it.

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

Kudzu fiber, known as ko-hemp, is traditionally used to make clothing and paper, and has also been investigated for industrial-scale use. Kudzu fiber is a bast fiber similar to hemp and linen and has been used for clothing in China for at least 6,000 years and in Japan for at least 1,500 years. In ancient China, kudzu was one of three main clothing and textile materials, with silk and ramie being the other two. A material made of Kudzu called Kuzufu is still currently used in Japan, primarily to weave kimono and obi worn in the summer.–Wikipedia