Mulberries are deciduous trees with scaly buds. Leaves are borne in an alternate pattern. Leaves are lobed or toothed. Flowers are monoecious or dioecious and borne in catkins. Fruits are a single-seeded achene, aggregated into a fleshy fruit that resembles a blackberry.
| I. |
Leaves are varied in shape with some three-lobed, some mitten-shaped (two-lobed), and others not lobed. Leaf margins are toothed. Leaves are glabrous, or only slightly hairy, on veins beneath, and 21/2—71/4 inches (6—181/2 cm) long. Terminal buds are absent. May flowers are small and greenish in color. Fruits are white, pink, or violet and ripen in July or August. |
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Morus alba–White Mulberry |
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| II. |
Leaves are usually undivided with coarsely toothed margins. Leaves are soft and hairy beneath. Terminal buds are absent. Bark is scaly brown. May flowers are small and greenish. Fruit is a dark purple aggregate that ripens in July and August and resembles a blackberry. |
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Morus rubra–Red Mulberry |
White Mulberry–Morus alba
White mulberry is a small tree 30—40 feet in height. The top is either rounded or spreading. This tree was introduced from Asia but has escaped cultivation. Several cultivars were derived from this species, including Morus alba ‘Pendula,' that has slender, drooping branches. Mulberries are planted for screen or shelter belts and are quite urban-tolerant
Leaves are broad and oval in outline with rounded or heart-shaped leaf bases. Foliage is glabrous above and only slightly hairy on veins beneath, and 21/2—71/4 inches (6—181/2 cm) long. Leaves on juvenile branches are variable in shape with some three-lobed, some mitten-shaped, and others not lobed. The leaf margin is toothed.
Terminal buds are absent. Buds are imbricate and 1/8—1/4 inch (3—6 mm) long. The bark of trunks and branches is light gray and ridged, or furrowed.
May flowers are normally dioecious, small, and greenish in color. Fruits are white, pink, or violet and ripen in July or August. Fruit is normally lighter and inferior in quality when compared to the red mulberry. Fruit is relished by birds and may be substituted for blackberries in recipes. Male trees are fruitless and preferred in the landscape.
Red Mulberry–Morus rubra
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| Red Mulberry |
The red mulberry is native and occurs throughout the state. It prefers the rich soil of the lower and middle districts but is nowhere abundant. It is commonly called mulberry, as there are no other native species. The white mulberry and paper mulberry, which are sometimes found in waste places, are introduced species which have, to some extent, become naturalized. The red mulberry is a small tree, rarely 50 feet high and 2 feet in diameter, often found growing in the shade of larger trees. This tree is quite urban-tolerant.
The leaves are alternate, rounded, or somewhat heart-shaped. Leaves are usually undivided with coarsely toothed margins. Foliage is 3—5 inches (71/2—13cm) long, rough, hairy above and soft, hairy beneath. Some of the leaves, especially on young trees and thrifty shoots, are mitten-shaped or variously lobed.
Terminal buds are absent. Buds are imbricate and 1/8—1/4 inch (3—6 mm) long. Stems exude milky sap when cut. The bark is rather thin, dark, and grayish-brown and peels off in long, narrow flakes.
May flowers are small and greenish. The flowers are of two kinds on the same or different trees and borne in long, drooping catkins. Female catkins are shorter and appear with the leaves. The fruit is a dark purple aggregate that ripens in July and August and resembles a blackberry. However, a stalk extends through it centrally, and it is longer and narrower than a blackberry. The fruit is sweet and edible and greatly relished by birds and various animals. The fruit can be substituted for blackberries in recipes.
The wood is rather light, soft, not strong, light orange-yellow, and very durable in contact with the soil. It is chiefly used for fence posts. The tree might be planted for this purpose and to furnish food for birds or people. A few selections have been made for fruit quality.