Mulberry
Location: next to Irving Hill Bridge that crosses Iowa St.
Approximate blooming period: March - April
White Mulberry, Morus alba
Origin: China
Habitat: Hardy to USDA Zone 4&5
Height and Form: Deciduous tree to 50 ft (15 m) high
Foliage and Bark: Leaves alternate, simple, broadly ovate, often 2-3-lobed, base wedge-shaped, heart-shaped, light green above, glabrous below except on veins. Young shoots downy at first but without hairs by autumn.
Flowers, Fruit and Seeds: small, pale green, male and female in separate clusters (catkins), may be borne on the same or separate plants, bloom occurs in late spring. Fruit is green-white ripening pink to dark red, when eaten is sweet but bland.
Culture: Sun to light shade, adaptable, withstand drought and sea location, but grows best in moist, well-drained, fertile soils.
Name: also known as Silkworm Mulberry, Russian Mulberry
Cultivars/Varieties:‘Chaparral’ - fruitless, dwarf, weeping habit, often grafted to a standard to produce a tree that is 8-12 ft (2.4-3.6 m) tall and with a spread that is equal or wider and branches that droop to the ground.
‘Kingens’ - fruitless, 35 ft (10.5) tall, similar width, rounded crown.
‘Pendula’ - produces fruit, weeping habit, branches drooping to the ground, 15-20 ft (4.5-6 m) tall and similar width, some say it produces "interesting" shapes.
‘Striblingii’ - fruitless, deeply cut leaves, fast growing, 40-30 ft (9-12 m) tall at maturity.
var. tatarica - known as the Russian Mulberry, considered the hardiest, USDA Zone 3 and 4 (Snyder, 2000).
‘Unryu’ - the Contorted Mulberry, a spreading shrubby tree with zigzag branches.
