Kudzu

Kudzu, originally native to Japan, is known as "the vine that ate the South." The federal government began paying farmers $8 an acre in the 1930s to plant it across the south because it was touted to revitalize the soil. It actually worked, but ultimately kudzu grew out of control, spreading nearly a foot a day and rooting wherever it touched. Along with its super-high growth rate, it had no natural enemies in the region. The government only stopped paying farmers to grow kudzu in 1953 and the Department of Agriculture finally declared it to be a weed in 1970.