The South is beginning to take over Pennsylvania — one tendril at a time.

It's only fair, really, since kudzu — an invasive vine that has covered about 7 million acres of the southern United States since it was brought from Japan in 1876 — was first touted as a miracle plant in Philadelphia.

Kudzu has spread from there, and once it gets its roots into the soil, it's very hard to destroy.

"It's still fairly localized, but it has the potential to really spread and cause significant damage," Tim Draude, president of the Muhlenberg Botanical Society and an armchair expert on invasive plant species, said Thursday.

"It's expanding its range."

The state Department of Agriculture is taking the threat seriously. On Thursday, the department issued a request for residents to contact the department — toll-free at (877) 464-9333 — if the vine is spotted anywhere in the area.

"Kudzu grows over and around other plants and can be devastating to native plant species," state Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said.

The vine features alternating leaves, fragrant purple flowers and fuzzy brown seed pods in the fall, according to the release from Harrisburg. The plant was added to the state's noxious weed list in 1989.

The ag department is using a $50,000 grant to attempt to eradicate kudzu over a three-year growth cycle.

Draude said he knows of four kudzu outbreaks locally, including some by Safe Harbor and Holtwood. He's heard of even more in the area, he said.

"It's spreading pretty quickly," he said. "It's not as bad as some places, but it's getting pretty aggressive."

Bill Sloyer, a master gardener from East Lampeter Township, believes he has kudzu growing on his property, too.

"It's growing very fast," he said Thursday. "It's growing about a foot a day.

"First I'm going to kill it. Then I'll get it tested to see what it is."

Draude said he first saw kudzu growing locally about 10 years ago.

Getting rid of it, he said, is a challenge.

"If you have a couple little plants, it's fairly easy. But once it gets established and you have pretty large colonies, it's difficult," he said.

"Kudzu has running root systems, so if you pull it out by hand, you will always leave some roots behind and it's going to come back."

Eradication usually requires spraying, Draude said — although care must be taken to do as little damage to local species as possible.

"Inevitably, it's going to cause some damage to the local flora," he said. "But the alternative is not to do anything, and it will cause a lot more damage in the long run."

Melissa Bravo, a weed scientist with the state Department of Agriculture, said she believes there are kudzu colonies thriving along the Susquehanna River, where kudzu was sown in decades past to prevent soil erosion. The vine also was used to cover slag piles at Bethlehem Steel sites, and the slag was spread across the state as road fill.

Statewide, Bravo has identified 81 kudzu sites in 14 counties.

In ideal conditions, the vine can grow a foot a day.

Draude is pleased to see the state taking an active role in the effort.

"I think their intention is to get out and eliminate it before it becomes widespread," he said. "I think that's a great idea. If we can get it at this stage, we might be able to keep it from spreading throughout the state.

"But it already is well established in some areas. It's going to take a significant effort."

E-mail: tknapp@lnpnews.com