white mulberry
Family
MoraceaeScientific Name
Morus alba
Other Common Names:
moral blanco
Chinese white mulberry
russian
mulberry
chi sang
chin sang
common mulberry
mulberry
silkworm mulberry
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Morus tatarica
Morus alba var. multicaulis
Morus alba var. tatarica
Leaves
The leaves are alternate, simple,
serrate or dentate, ovate to broad ovate, and two to
seven inches long
Identifying Characteristics
The
bark is light brown to gray and smooth, becoming
divided into narrow scaly ridges. White
mulberry is an introduced, small to medium sized
shrub or tree
Flower Seed Head
The flowers are
small, greenish, crowded in clusters, and hanging in
catkins.
Seed Fruit
The fruit is blackberry like, typically white
but sometimes pinkish violet, insipid and so plentiful
it litters lawns and pavements
Where Found
Morus alba is a Chinese tree, cultivated
throughout the world wherever silkworms are raised.
It is occasionally cultivated in Japan, Europe, North
America, and Africa. In Michigan, white mulberry is frequent in urban environments in the southern half
of the Lower Peninsula, occasionally in the northern half of the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula
(Barnes & Wagner 1981). This species is naturalized in the urban environment and rare in disturbed forest
communities.
Growth Habit
woody bush or tree
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
Varies:
pencil,
dime,
nickle
Dominant Flower Color
white
Flower Symmetry
not symmetrical
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Margin
Varies:
lobed,
serrated
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Tree