red mulberry
Morus rubra L.
click thumbnail to enlarge
Form
red mulberry form
Habitat
Leaves
red mulberry leaves red mulberry leaves red mulberry leaves red mulberry leaves
Twigs
red mulberry twig red mulberry twig red mulberry twig red mulberry twig red mulberry twig: milky sap
Bark
red mulberry bark red mulberry bark: close-up
Flowers
red mulberry flowers red mulberry flowers red mulberry flowers red mulberry flowers
Fruit
red mulberry fruit red mulberry fruit
  • FAMILY: MORACEAE
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:
  • LEAVES: deciduous, alternate, simple; blades of three shapes: unlobed, mitten-shaped, and 3 (-5) lobed; unlobed leaves generally ovate in outline; blade tips acute to acuminate, margins serrate, bases symmetrically cordate or truncate; upper leaf surface usually somewhat scabrous
  • FLOWER: unisexual, male and female flowers born in separate catkins on the same plant (monoecious) or on different plants (dioecious); catkins of both sexes ca. 1-1.5” long, the male loosely flowered, elongate-cylindric, pendent, female catkins compactly flowered, oblong, not pendent; flowering in early spring as new leaves emerge
  • FRUIT: an achene surrounded by the fruiting calyx, which has become succulent and juicy, maturing dark red or purplish-red; the fruiting female catkin containing many such achenes is collectively referred to as a “mulberry”, attaining a length of about 2”
  • TWIGS: slender, zigzagging, surface gray-brown, smooth with scattered lenticels, leaf scars concave, oval to half-moon shaped; sap milky
  • BARK: smooth gray-brown when young; with long, thin scales when older
  • FORM: medium-sized tree to ca. 60-70’ tall; often seen only as a shrub to small tree
  • HABITAT: mesic forests with relatively fertile soils
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Upland (FACU): Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
  • RANGE: eastern US [USGS Range Map]
  • USES: durable heartwood, used locally for fence posts and cooperage; ornamental
  • WILDLIFE: fruit is eaten by songbirds, opossums, raccoons and squirrels; frequently browsed by whitetail deer, which will also eat leaves fallen on the ground, which are reportedly high in calcium
    • Best Recognition Features:
    1. small deciduous tree of mesic rich-soil forests
    2. leaves of three shapes; upper blade surfaces scabrous
    3. leaf bases symmetrically cordate or truncate
    4. milky sap
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    School of Renewable Natural Reources    		 Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours
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