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Morus alba
Also called Weeping mulberry, Silkworm mulberry, Russian mulberry, Asian Mulberry, Common Mulberry, Tartarian Mulberry, Mulberry
In Singapore: White Mulberry, Tut, Bebesaran, 桑 (Grown in Singapore)
White mulberry is a fast-growing, small to medium tree, typically 10 to 15 m tall, native to China and widely grown for silkworm feed and fruit. It thrives in warm to temperate climates with plenty of sun and well-drained soil.
Morus alba, known as white mulberry, common mulberry and silkworm mulberry, is a fast-growing, small to medium-sized mulberry tree which grows to 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall. It is native to China and is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere. The species is widely cultivated to feed the silkworms employed in the commercial production of silk. It is also notable for the rapid release of its pollen, which is launched at greater than half the speed of sound.
The specific Latin epithet alba refers to white.
Mulberry cultivation is generally found in both tropical and temperate regions, although the temperature of 24-28 °C is ideal for cultivating mulberry. Mulberry thrives from 28 °N and 55 °N latitude under varying climatic conditions ranging from temperate and tropical situated north of the equator. It grows well in areas where annual rainfall varies between 600 and 2,500 millimetres (24 and 98 in) with a minimum of nine to 13 hours of sunshine per day. Mulberry can be grown up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level. Mulberry blooms well in warm, rich, fertile, well-drained, loamy to clayey soils, porous with strong moisture-holding ability. The optimal soil pH range is 6.2–6.8. Because mulberry is a hardy crop, the soil moisture can be used to a greater extent by these plants. However, the analysis of India's soils stated that the status of sodium (Na), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) should be set. When some deviation occurs then the insects or fungi will attack mulberry plants.
Tests on laboratory rats have not found mulberry extract to present significant toxicity.
According to a coroner's report, Lori McClintock, wife of US politician Tom McClintock, died in December 2021 from dehydration due to gastroenteritis caused by "adverse effects of white mulberry leaf ingestion"; the leaf is used as a dietary supplement or herbal remedy for weight loss and diabetes. However, many experts questioned this conclusion, citing numerous safety studies.
The species is native to China and India and is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere (including the United States, Mexico, Australia, Kyrgyzstan, Argentina, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, among others).
Indian Mulberry · Mongolian Mulberry · Black Mulberry · Red mulberry · Mulberry
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Morus alba by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
