White Mulberry

Plant Characteristics
Habit		tree
Height:	⇕	15 m"m" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial
Origin:	✈	China

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
Water:	◍	moderate, dry
Features:	✓	deciduous, fruit
Sunset Zones:		2-24, 26-41

Scientific Names
Moraceae >	Morus >	alba >

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Read about White Mulberry in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Morus multicaulis, Perr. (M. Alba, var. multicaulis, Loud. M. alba var. latifolia, Bureau. M. sinensis, Hort. M. latifolia, Poir., which Bureau refers here, is probably M. Indica, Linn.) A strong-growing small tree or giant shrub, with dull roughish and very large long-pointed lvs., which are seldom or never prominently lobed, and which are often convex above, bearing black sweet fr.: style evident. China, where it is apparently the chief silkworm mulberry.—Once much grown in this country, but not now well known, particularly not in the N. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about White Mulberry in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Morus alba, Linn. White Mulberry. Lvs. light green, rather small, smooth or very nearly so above and often shining, the veins prominent beneath and whitish, variously lobed or divided, the basal lobes unequal, the teeth large and for the most part rounded or nearly obtuse, the branches gray or grayish yellow: fr. variable, usually narrow, 1-2 in. long white or violet, very sweet. China.— Morus alba has been cult.from the earliest times, chiefly for feeding the silk-worm. It is a frequent tree along roadsides and in the old yards in the eastern states, where the trunk sometimes attains a diam. of 2 ft. This half-wild form usually has rather small rounded shining lvs. with very large rounded teeth, and bears small whitish or violet frs. which are very sweet. Sometimes the frs. are an inch long, but they are oftener only half that length, and one sometimes finds trees on which the frs. are barely ¼ in. long. Now and then a tree bears fr. nearly or quite black. Birds, poultry and hogs are fond of these mulberries. The trees are usually very thick- topped and bushy growers, but sometimes one is seen which, when young, has branches as straight and trim as a Northern Spy apple. These half-wild trees are seedlings, and this accounts for their variability. Var. pendula, Dipp. Branches slender, drooping. Var. pyramidalis, Ser. (var fastigiata, Schelle). Tree of pyramidal form: lvs. acute, usually lobed. Var. laciniata, Beissn. (var. skeletoniana, Schneid.) Skeleton-leaved Mulberry. Lvs. regularly and deeply divided into narrow lobes, the terminal lobe and usually two of the lateral ones with very long points: a distinct and graceful form. Var. tatarica, Loudon (M. tatarica, Linn.). Russian Mulberry. A hardy type of M. alba which was intro. into our western states in 1875-77 by the Russian Mennonites. It differs little from the type of M. alba in botanical characters. As commonly seen, it is a low-growing very bushy-topped small tree with small and much-lobed lvs. The fr. Is usually very small and insipid, and varies from creamy white to violet, and almost black. Var. venosa, Del. (var. nervosa, Lodd. Var. fibrosa. Ser. M. urticaefolia, Hort.). Lvs. contracted and jagged, and very strongly marked with many white veins. It bears fr. ½ in. long. Among the horticultural curiosities this tree should find a place, although it is not grown by our nurserymen. Its ornamental value is considerable, especially when striking effects are desired. Rare in Amer. The history of this mulberry is obscure. Delile described it in a French report as long ago as 1826; of horticultural origin. The variations of this species allow of many Latin names to be applied. The following names, which one may find in horticultural literature, are referable to M. alba: byzantina, cedrona(?), colombassa, constantinopolitana, Fegyvernekiana, globosa, intermedia, italica, laciniata (of some), lucida, membranacea, macrophylla, Morettii, Morettiana, romana, rosea. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

More information about this species can be found on the genus page.

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Cultivars

'Pendula' ('Teas' Weeping') - strongly weeping, low growing, produces fruit
'Chaparral' - weeping
'Fan-San'
'Fruitless'
'Illinois Everbearing' (a hybrid between White Mulberry and Red Mulberry) - early summer crop, plus smaller crop in autumn
'Kingan'
'Stribling' ('Mapleleaf')

Gallery

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Ripening fruit of a wild color-like variety
photo 2
photo 3

References

External links

w:White Mulberry. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
White Mulberry QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)

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