Arkansas Tree Database

Red Mulberry

Red Mulberry

Scientific name:

Morus Rubra

Size:

30'-40' tall by almost as wide, up to 60' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 3"-5" long with coarsely toothed margins, variable from usually unlobed to occasionally mitten-shaped to 3-lobed, rough and hairy above with undersurface soft and hairy and paler than above, with hairy leaf stalk

Flowers:

small yellowish green, inconspicuous

Fruit:

sweet edible and blackberry-like, red at first ripening to purplish black, loved by birds

Fall Interest:

golden yellow; deciduous

Culture:

sun to partial sun; rich, moist, well-drained soil

Disease/Insect:

Use:

shade tree if male; as fruit tree if female

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark thin, dark brown to gray with an orange tint, with shallow grooves and narrow ridges, sometimes with loose scales; unlike white mulberry, leaf surface is rough above and hairy beneath; milky sap from twigs; native to Arkansas

Resources:

Click thumbnail to enlarge images

Red mulberry bark on trunk Red mulberry bark on trunk Red mulberry tree at base Red mulberry flowers Red mulberry flowers Red mulberry foliage, with dull rough upper surface, and unlobed or with 1, 3, or 5 lobes Red mulberry leaf, with dull rough upper surface and coarsely toothed margins Red mulberry fruit Red mulberry fruit Red mulberry fruit Red mulberry fruit, dark purple at maturity Red mulberry tree habit, winter