Eastern Forest Threat Center - White Mulberry

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White mulberry foliage and fruit

White mulberry foliage and fruit

Chirs Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

White Mulberry
Morus alba

White mulberry, native to Asia, was introduced during colonial times in an effort to establish a silkworm industry in the U.S. It was widely cultivated in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries for silkworms, and is still cultivated in China, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Keywords: Moraceae, deciduous, shrub, tree, low branches, wide crown, blackberry-like fruits, hybridization, root disease; Common names: common mulberry

Distribution Map Distribution Source Image

Threat Description

White mulberry is a deciduous shrub or tree, 30 to 50 ft. in height and approximately 1½ ft. in diameter. It has low branches and a wide spreading crown. Bark is orange-brown with lenticels when young, becoming gray with long narrow irregular ridges. Glossy green leaves that turn yellow in autumn are 3 to 6 in. long, alternate, stipulate, and variable in shape. Unisex flowers are small and greenish-yellow with dense spikes. The blackberry-like aggregate fruits, 1 to 1¼ in. long, turn from green to white to red to black as they ripen, May to August. The seeds are spread by wildlife that feed on the fruits, and white mulberry expands locally by producing new plants from its roots. White mulberry occurs naturally in sparse forests on hillsides at a wide range of elevations. It grows in part shade to full sun. It can grow in clay, loam, sand, acidic, alkaline, and well-drained soils, and tolerates extended flooding or droughty conditions. White mulberry can hybridize with and replace native mulberry. It transmits a harmful root disease to red mulberry and invades natural areas including fields, forest edges, and roadsides.