White Mulberry

White Mulberry (Morus alba)

White mulberry leaves, photo by Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org

White mulberry ripe fruit, photo by Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

White mulberry bark on large tree shown orange between the ridges. Photo by Vern Wilkins, Indiana University, Bugwood.org

Status: very common near Bloomington, widespread through the rest of Monroe County

History: Native to China, it was introduced in North American in the 1600s and was planted throughout the eastern United States to feed mulberry silkworms.

Habitat: Grows almost anywhere that isn't too wet or dry, including urban areas, old fields, forest margins, and floodplains.

Description: Mature trees can be 30-50' tall. Flowers in spring; male and female flowers are usually on separate plants. Ripe fruits vary from white to red to black. Leaves are alternate, lobed or unlobed, bluntly toothed with a shiny upper surface and lower surface with occasional hairs on veins, up to 4" long. Bark is grey when young, turning brown with age. Older bark is furrowed with areas of exposed orange inner bark.

Threat:

It produces copious amounts of fruit which are spread by birds and other wildlife, then take over fields and other open areas.
Will hybridize with the native and uncommon red mulberry (Morus rubra).

Similar Species:

White mulberry is often confused with the native red mulberry (Morus rubra) which is a relatively uncommon species found in the understory of rich forest. Red mulberry tends to have larger leaves (6-12" long), with dull upper surfaces and hairs both on the veins and between the veins on lower surfaces. Both species can produce red to nearly black fruits. The two species often hybridize, producing intermediate characters. For more information and comparison photos, see link below.

White mulberry female flowers, photo by Rebekah D Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

White mulberry leaves and immature fruit, photo by John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org

Thanks to Bluestone Tree and Norman Arbor Care & Gardens for offering a discount on removal of white mulberries! Join with your neighbors to get the best discount and tell them MC-IRIS sent you!

Bluestone Tree
[email protected]
812-824-3335
https://bluestonetree.com/

Discount offer:

1 tree- 15% discount
2-5 trees- 25%
6-10 trees- 30%
11-30 trees- 35%

Over 30 trees- 40%

Norman Arbor Care & Gardens
[email protected]
812-371-2142
https://normanarborandgardens.com/

Discount offer:
$100.00 off the proposed bid for a removal of a Callery Pear. We also plant trees and shrubs, and would be happy to provide bids to those residents interested in having their 1-2" native replacement tree planted for them.

White mulberry leaves, photo by Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

How to Tell White Mulberry from Red Mulberry

Invasive white mulberry can be difficult to distinguish from the native red mulberry; click for more information.

White vs Red Mulberry

White mulberry leaves and fruit, photo by Robert Videki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org

White Mulberry Control

Click here for more information on the management of white mulberry.

Control