Morus rubra L.

Red Mulberry

Tree

Perennial

Vascular

Red Mulberry is a native deciduous tree in the Mulberry family (Moraceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. It occurs in bottomlands, in mesic hardwood forests, in vacant lots, along railroads and fence rows, and in disturbed woodlands. Red Mulberry grows as a shrub or tree up to 60 feet in height. The bark on older trunks is brown with orange tints and furrowed with long broad ridges. Young shoots have prominent light colored, elliptic lenticels. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate in outline, with serrate or crenate margins. Leaves on vigorous stems are often deeply and irregularly lobed. The leaves are pubescent on both surfaces and the upper surface is scabrous (rough) to the touch. 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 dark 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. Red Mulberry is very variable and often confused with the introduced White Mulberry (Morus alba L.). White Mulberry tends to be more “shrub-like” in growth form with leaves that are glabrous or nearly so on both surfaces and not scabrous. The upper surface of White Mulberry leaves tends to be lustrous in appearance. Some individuals are intermediate in characteristics and are of possible hybrid origin.—A. Diamond

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Native FAC (NWPL)

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