Landowner Fact Sheets

red mulberry Morus rubra play

Mulberry is a scattered small tree of bottomlands and limestone soils that is widely known for its blackberry-like delicious fruit.

range map Click to see more images. fall color

Light
Mulberry is rarely intentionally reproduced. Hackberry procuces stump sprouts and root suckers, making it very responsive to disturbance.

Water
Red mulberry is most often found on low sites, on moist, rich soils.

Growth

Size
A small tree to 60 feet in height, with a short trunk that typically branches low.

Timber Value
Mulberry wood is light and weak. Further, mulberry is generally a small tree. It is not an important commercial species.

Wildlife Value
Fruits are eaten by most birds and mammals, including humans. The fruit is often used for pies and jams.
Attracts most mammals, many birds

Insects and Diseases

Fun Facts
The delicious fruits are eaten by a variety of wildlife and can be used in a similar fashion to raspberries and blackberries.

Latin Meaning
Morus: Latin name for Morus nigra from Greek "morea" (mulberry tree) / rubra: red

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Landowner Factsheets © 2004 Virginia Tech Forestry Department, all rights reserved. Text, images, and programming by: Dr. Jeff Kirwan, Dr. John R. Seiler, John A. Peterson, Edward C. Jensen, Guy Phillips, or Andrew S. Meeks.