BUTTONWOOD AND MULBERRIES 



Red Mulberry ^ small tree, 1 5 to 60 feet high. 



Moms rubra The bark is rough, with long 

 furrows. The twigs are a light greenish 

 brown and the leaf-scars are oval, hollow, and 

 alternate in arrangement. The bundle-scars 

 form a closed chain arotmd the leaf- scar. A 

 milky juice comes if the stems are cut on 

 warm days in winter. Very smooth buds. 



The red mulberry is not particularly attrac- 

 tive in winter. In open situations its branches 

 are wide spreading without being graceful, and 

 it is broadly erect in shape without being 

 stately. It grows to be a much larger tree in 

 the South than it does in the North. 



The wood is soft and light, but very durable, 

 and it is used for fences and cooperage, and 

 in the South for boat-building. The fruit is 

 edible, with an agreeable acid flavor. 



The generic name, Mortis, is probably derived 

 from the Celtic word mor, meaning black, in 

 reference to the color of the fruit. The specific 

 name, rubra, is given to this species because 

 the mulberries are dark red instead of white, like 

 those of Morus alba. 



The red mulberry is found growing wild 

 in Western Massachusetts, south to Florida 

 and westward. It is frequently planted in 

 gardens for its fruit. 



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