Morus alba

Silkworm Mulberry
Moraceae
Deciduous, Edible fruit, Trees

MORUS

Deciduous trees with leaves of variable size and shape, often on the same plant. Yellow autumn color ranges from subdued to bright. Fruits somewhat resemble miniature blackberries and are favored by birds.

Morus alba

Native to China. Fast-growing tree can reach 30 to 50 ft. high and wide, though it’s often smaller. Leaves to 6 in. long and nearly as wide, often lobed. Fruit-bearing (female) trees have inconspicuous flowers followed by white, pink, or purple fruit that is sweet but rather insipid; it stains paved surfaces (as well as clothing). Tolerates desert heat, alkaline soil, seacoast conditions. Resistant to Texas root rot. Subject to sooty canker disease.

Stake new plants; they quickly develop large crowns, which may snap from slender young trunks in high winds. For first few years, branches may grow so long that they droop from their own weight; shorten such branches to a well-placed upward-growing bud. Difficult to garden under because of heavy surface roots. Takes some aridity but performs better with regular moisture.

Excessive pollen has made these illegal in some desert jurisdictions.