5

I was identifying a relatively young tree in my yard, and I'm pretty sure it is a Mulberry tree. I live in Massachusetts and came across this article stating that red Mulberries are endangered in Mass so I was motivated to investigate further.

Red and white Mulberries are the most common types, but it doesn't seem to be either one.

Red: The undersides of the leaves are not downy so it seems that it is not red. The undersides are somewhat scratchy. I also live close to Boston (Somerville) which seems like an unlikely location. On the other hand, it is growing on the side of a hill in the understory of some large spruce trees which seems to be a preferred location for red.

White: Looking at this article, the leaf margins do not look like a white. The leaf edges of mine are pointy but white has more rounded edges.

I have some pictures below. Would love to find out which kind of Mulberry it is.

More details in response to comments:

  • Tree hasn't fruited yet
  • Leaves are about 4-7"
  • Tree is about high 15' high
  • You can see a bud in the photos

enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

14
  • Might be the russian mulberry. Jul 4, 2016 at 2:05
  • My goodness what a treasure, Kekito!! What is the color of the fruit?
    – stormy
    Jul 4, 2016 at 19:35
  • @blackthumb, looks like Russian is another name for white.
    – minou
    Jul 4, 2016 at 20:08
  • @stormy, haven't seen any fruits yet. Maybe it is too young?
    – minou
    Jul 4, 2016 at 20:08
  • 1
    It doesn't look like my Chinese red mulberry at all. My leaves were more deeply serrated.
    – Bulrush
    Jul 7, 2016 at 13:28

5 Answers 5

2

I think it's a White.

The leaf margins look a bit off because they range from more saw-toothed to more rounded. The leaves with fewer lobes have sharper margins.

Ime (have 4 on my land, two old, two young) they'll be >15' tall before the bark starts acquiring ridges.

6
  • I was wondering about the ridged bark...good point. Do you know how long it takes for these trees to fruit...to mature to be able to have fruit? Still not happy with White, though, or Red for that matter. I know very little about this species. Why hasn't his tree fruited yet? Too much shade?
    – stormy
    Jul 5, 2016 at 20:04
  • Based on my old Mulberry trees, they do love their sun. Limbs that grow into part shade die to the bole, and branches that sprawl their way to full sun fruit the most. -- I know very little as well - just how mine behave. -- Could be too young or soil could be exhausted of P (did the bud flower well, if so was there any formation?). Could also be a male. -- I'm as curious as you are. Jul 7, 2016 at 4:21
  • I am not convinced at this point that it is a white...grins. What other species of Morus are you familiar? Do you know anything about nigra...or black mulberry? Do you know if they are separate sexes (dang can't remember that term at the moment)...that would make sense if his isn't flowering/fruiting.
    – stormy
    Jul 7, 2016 at 22:52
  • I'm not convinced it's a white either, I just suspect. -- Looks like Blacks' leaves have more pronounced bases than these. -- Just a couple weeks ago I read some things about non-fruiting male Mulberries for landscaping. But iirc they still flower, so we're back to: is it flowering well and not fruiting -> maybe a male, or is it not flowering well -> maybe not enough sun. --- So far the only thing not pointing to White is OP's estimation of leaf size. Not digging on OP, but I have doubts with that Hedara there for a (very bad) scale comparison. Jul 8, 2016 at 13:35
  • To the first question: I'm not even super-familiar with the Mulberry Trees I have on my land. Even the "limbs grown into shade die to the bole" is totally an "in my experience" observation. -- I just have a lot of exp with plant identification, maybe learning a few basic things about each. -- Like with this one - leaf bases are a big point when determining ID with close-in-appearance plants. Blacks have a Cordate Base on their Apiculate leaves, (pronounced base on their spade-shaped leaf is less jargon-y). -- idk. I could be way off - I always accept that. :) Jul 8, 2016 at 13:46
0

looks like bitter sweetnightshade shade to me.

1
  • Please explain why you think it's bittersweet nightshade. Thanks and welcome to the site.
    – Niall C.
    Aug 11, 2019 at 16:50
0

It looks like a white mulberry. According to this site, https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/354710 Image from this site

"Ecological threat in the united states 6 White mulberry invades forest edges and disturbed forests and open areas, displacing native species. It is slowly outcompeting and replacing native red mulberry (Morus rubra) through hybridization and possibly through transmission of a harmful root disease"enter image description here

0

Everyone is wrong it's actually a native red mulberry. All you have to do is check the leaf, the red is hairy and light green, the white mulberry is smooth and dark green. To bad everyone missidentified this rare tree ! I wonder how many native trees have been missidentified and cut down. It's a shame that people jump to conclusions without having all the knowledge on the subject.

1
  • Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Apr 25, 2022 at 18:08
0

enter image description here

Pretty sure it’s a red mulberry. Moved in 3 years ago and this is the first year I’ve seen berries. No idea on what variety of red or if it is native or not but really looking forward to the first harvest. It appears like it will be a bumper crop since the branches are literally weighed down with fruit. Not sure if it made a difference, but even though I didn’t know what it was I’ve pruned it every year and it always grows so much faster after cleaning out some of the extra branches.

enter image description here

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.