Morus alba L.

White Mulberry; Silkworm Mulberry; Russian Mulberry

Tree

Perennial

Vascular

White Mulberry is an introduced deciduous tree in the Mulberry family (Moraceae). It is native to eastern Asia, but has been widely planted as food for silkworms, for food, and as a shade tree. It can be found throughout Alabama. It is most common in cities where it occurs around parks, in vacant lots, along railroads, and in disturbed woodlands. White Mulberry grows as a shrub or tree up to 50 feet in height. The bark on older trunks is brown and furrowed, with long narrow ridges. Young shoots have prominent reddish, elliptic lenticels. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate in outline, with serrate margins. Leaves on vigorous stems are often deeply and irregularly lobed. The upper surface of the leaf is glabrous or sparsely pubescent and shiny. The lower surface of the leaf is glabrous or with hairs along the major veins or in tufts in the axils of major veins. Flowers are produced in greenish-yellow catkins. The fruit is a syncarp (a fleshy compound fruit composed of the fruits of several flowers). At maturity the fruit are white, purple, or black in color. The fruit is edible and can be eaten raw or made into pies, jellies, or jams. Many species of wildlife, especially birds, consume the fruit. White mulberry was introduced in the United States during colonial times in a failed attempt to establish the silkworm industry in this country. It has since spread widely and is considered an invasive species in many areas. White Mulberry is very variable and often confused with our native Red Mulberry (Morus rubra Linnaeus). Red Mulberry tends to be more “tree-like” in growth form with leaves that are pubescent on both surfaces and scabrous (rough) to the touch on the upper surface. The upper surface of Red Mulberry leaves tends to be dull and not lustrous in appearance. Some individuals are intermediate in characteristics and are of possible hybrid origin.--A. Diamond

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Not Native FACU- (NWPL)

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