MORUS 79 



Morus L i n n e 1753 Mulberry 



(L. morus, Gr. moron, mulberry, probably from Gr. m o r o s 



insipid, referring to the taste ; mulberry was originally mur- 



berry, from the same root ; cfr. Ger. maulbeer e.) 



Trees or shrubs with milky juice ; leaves alternate in 2 rows, simple, 

 often lobed, 3-nerved; flowers monoecious, in catkins; sepals 4, petals 0, 

 stamens 4, ovary 1-celled, stigmas 2; fruit a mass of tiny drupes. 



Propagation by seeds or cuttings. 



A genus of 10 species, natives of the northern hemisphere; a third 

 species occurs in the southwestern United States. 



Key to the Species 



( 1 ) Leaves rough above, hairy below ; fruit long, 



red to black .1/. rubra 



( 2 ) Leaves smooth or slightly hairy below ; fruit 



elliptic, white or pink M. alba 



Morus rubra L i 11 n e 1753 Red Mulberry 



Tree of medium height, 20-60 ft. high, 1-3 ft. diam. ; bark yellowish- 

 brown, moderately rough ; leaves ovate or rounded, usually deeply 3-lobed, 

 often with 2-3 smaller lobes at the base, sometimes entire, margin dentate, 

 tip pointed, 1-2 cm. long, base truncate or heart-shaped, strongly 3-nerved, 

 slightly rough above with scattered hairs, hairy beneath, 10-25 cm. long, 

 8-20 cm. wide, petioles short, rather stout, 2-4 cm. long; staminate spikes 

 many-flowered, cylindric, drooping, 4-5 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, pistillate 

 spikes spreading, usually hanging when ripe, on a slender stalk, 2-3 cm. 

 long, 1-1.5 cm. wide, deep red, then red-black, edible; flowering in May, 

 fruit ripening in June or July : rubra, red, in reference to the fruit. 



In deciduous woods in southeastern Minnesota and along the Missis- 

 sippi; Ont-Fla-Tex-S.D. 



Wood yellow or orange, coarse-grained, compact, soft, weak, tough, 

 durable, weight 37 lbs.; used in boat-building, cooperage and fencing. 

 The fibers of the inner bark were used by the Indians in making a coarse 

 cloth. An ornamental tree but scarcely hardy, except in southern Minne- 

 sota. 



