White mulberry

Short Description

White mulberry is a small deciduous tree or shrub with a loose rounded crown with sparse leaf coverage. It can grow up to 15 m tall.

The pointed leaves grow alternately on the branch. The leaf margins are coarsely serrated and the leaf stalk contains a milky sap. The leaves of a single tree can vary widely in shape. They can be simple, broadly oval to deeply irregularly lobed.

The outer layer is grey-brown with a fissured bark.

The flowers are inconspicuously green and clustered in drooping panicles (flower heads). There are male and female flowers. Female flower heads are small, white and globular. Male flowers are catkins with a long stalk.

The fruit is the mulberry. Its colour can vary from white to dark-purple. The fruit is a compound drupe.

In the city

White mulberry trees are generally found in gardens, but also as part of tree-lined avenues. They prefer sunny and fresh sites protected from wind.