Red Mulberry
Morus rubra L.
Mature Size: 30 to 60 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter.
Form: Short trunk and dense, spreading crown.
Habitat: Floodplains and low, moist slopes.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, 3 to 5 inches long, rough above and downy beneath, with toothed edges; leaf shape may be oval, mitten-shaped, or with 3 or more lobes.
Flowers
Males and females are usually on separate trees; tiny, pale green, clustered into 1 to 2 inch hanging catkins (males) or 1 inch catkins (females), both appearing in late spring with the leaves.
Fruit
1 to 1¼ inch fleshy cluster resembling a blackberry, red when immature, turning deep purple when ripe in mid-summer; sweet, juicy and edible.
Bark
Dark brown tinged with red, but often orange on young trees; scaly with long, irregular ridges.
Twigs
Slender, zigzag, green changing to red-brown, sometimes fuzzy; buds covered with brown-edged overlapping scales; leaf scars shield-shaped and somewhat sunken; silvery-white hairs present when twig is broken.
Values and Uses
The dark brown wood is light and soft, not strong, but quite durable. It was traditionally used for fencing, barrels, interior finish and agricultural tools. The berry is a favorite food for squirrels, opossums, raccoons, turkeys and many songbirds.
Did You Know?
A related species, white mulberry (Morus alba) is the main food source for silkworm caterpillars. White mulberry was imported from China in the 1700s, in hopes of establishing a silk industry in the southern United States. Although silk production here was never successful, white mulberry is now naturalized throughout the South.
