Desmodium rotundifolium

Kudzu may be confused with other trifoliate legumes.

Dollar Leaf or Prostrate Tick Trefoil, Desmodium rotundifolium, is a native herbaceous perennial with stems up to 3 feet long, round leaflets, and purple flowers in dry woods.

Amphicarpaea bracteata

Hog peanut, Amphicarpaea bracteata, a small native vine, may be mistaken for a young kudzu plant, but it does not have pubescent stems or climb into tree crowns. Scrambling along the forest floor, its trifoliate leaf is no larger than 3 inches and the flowers are pale lilac to white.