Did you know that there are several types of mulberry trees? We do not know exactly how many, but it is estimated that there are at least a fortnight. All are characterized by being deciduous trees, which lose their foliage as soon as the temperatures begin to drop in the fall.
Some varieties are widely grown in temperate regions of Europe, and these are white mulberry and black mulberry. There is even a cultivar that does not produce fruit, and which receives the English name of “fruitless” (mulberry without fruit).
Mulberries are trees that they usually don’t grow very fast, but not excessively slow either. In fact, the normal thing is that they do it at a rate of about 20-30 centimeters per year, as long as the conditions in which they live are the most suitable, and they don’t go through a bad period because of of , for example, a fungal or parasitic infection.
They resist both cold and heat very well, but without reaching extremes. Let me explain: being native to the temperate regions of Asia, North America and Africa, the higher or lower the temperature, the more likely they are to suffer damage. In reality, to make them feel really comfortable, it is advisable that the temperatures remain between -20ºC and 40ºC.
But yes: keep in mind that they are susceptible to late frostsand that they struggle during heat waves where temperatures stay between 40°C and 25°C.
And that said, let’s see what are the types of mulberry trees that are more easily found in nurseries:
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morus alba
Image – Wikimedia/Nucatum amygdala
species morus alba It is known as white mulberry. It is a tree native to Central and Eastern Asia. It can measure up to 15 meters high, and develops petiolate leaves about 5 centimeters wide and more or less long. The fruits are white -hence its family name-, and are about 2.5 centimeters long. These ripen in mid to late spring.
Out of curiosity, say that the leaves of this plant serve as food for silkworms. Moreover, these animals eat only that.
Morus alba var Fruitless
The barren white mulberry is a variety of morus alba. It differs from pure species in not producing fruit.. But otherwise, it’s the same. It reaches 15 meters high, and develops a crown about 4 to 5 meters wide.
Morus alba ‘Pendulum’
Image – Wikimedia/Аимаина хикари
The morus alba ‘Pendula’, called pendula mulberry or weeping mulberry, is a cultivar of morus alba whose branches hang down, giving the plant a “weeping” appearance. In fact, if you’ve ever seen pictures, you might remember a tree that’s the same size: the weeping willow, whose scientific name is Salyx babylonica. But unlike this, the mulberry does not need as much water, and it is more resistant to pests.
Morus mesozygia
Picture – zimbabweflora.co.zw
The Morus mesozygia It is a mulberry native to tropical Africa, more precisely, it grows in the forests of the west and center of the continent. It reaches a height of 15 meters, although it can reach 20 meters. Its crown is wide, about 5 meters in diameter. Produces red fruitswhich are eaten by different species of monkeys as well as chimpanzees.
Morus microphyllum
species Morus microphyllum It is a tree native to the United States. It can reach a height of 20 meters and, as its surname suggests, it has small leaves about 4 to 5 centimeters long., it is therefore the mulberry which has the smallest foliage. Indeed, it grows at high altitudes, between 900 and 1,500 meters above sea level, where the winters are very cold and the summers mild.
morus nigra
Image – Wikimedia/DS28
The morus nigrawhich we call black mulberry or black moral, is a tree native to Southwest Asia that generally grows a little smaller than the white mulberry, because it rarely exceeds 13 meters in height. The leaves measure up to ten centimeters long, and are green, like all those of the genus Morus. Its fruits are red drupes.
morus rubra
Image – Wikimedia/Famartin
The morus rubra is the red mulberry. It is native to North America, more precisely to the east of the continent. It reaches a height of 10 to 15 meters, and develops green leaves up to 14 centimeters long by 12 centimeters wide. Its fruits are drupes about 3 centimeters long, which start out red and end up being dark purple.. It looks a lot like the black mulberry, but its origin is different.
Do you know of any other types of blackberries? These trees are very interesting garden plants that do not require much care. For this reason, we hope you will be encouraged to plant one on your land, as we are sure you will enjoy it very much.