THE RED MULBERRY 



THE Red Mulberry is the only native Mulberry in the eastern United States. It 

 is distributed from southern New England west to Ontario, Michigan, and 

 Nebraska, and south to Texas and Florida. In the northern parts of its range 

 it is a small tree, rarely reaching a height greater than twenty-five feet, but in the valleys 

 of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers it becomes much larger, even reaching a height of sixty 

 or seventy feet. Throughout its range it is often planted either as an ornamental tree or 

 to furnish food for birds or poultry. 



The general characteristics of the species are well shown on the plate. In summer 

 it is easily recognized by the large, rounded leaves, suggestive of those of the Linden in 

 their outlines but very different in their texture, the Mulberry leaves having the veins, 

 as seen on the upper surface, sunken into the blade in a most characteristic fashion. Many 

 of the leaves are lobed in a way suggestive of the lobing on the leaves of the Japanese 

 Mulberry. Professor L. H. Bailey suggests that this "affords another of those interesting 

 parallelisms which exist between the Japanese and eastern American floras." The blos- 

 soms appear in spring when the leaves are partially developed, the pollen-bearing and 

 the seed-bearing being in separate catkins upon the same or upon different trees. The 

 former fall off after shedding the pollen, while the latter gradually develop into the inter- 

 esting fruit which ripens during July or August, turning to a dark reddish purple color, 

 the berries being edible and eagerly sought by many birds. 



This tree has many qualities which have been utilized by man. In addition to the 

 uses of the fruit already mentioned, it is valued in some parts of the South for fattening 

 hogs and an unsuccessful attempt has been made to utilize the leaves for feeding silkworms. 

 The Choctaw Indians formerly made a kind of coarse cloth from the inner bark, after 

 macerating it in hot water and ashes. The wood is very hard and durable and has been 

 utilized for fence-posts and in ship-building, being an especial favorite for the latter purpose. 



In Texas there is a variety named tomentosa notable for the whitish pubescence on 

 the under surface of the leaves. The Lampasas Mulberry is a form of this selected for its 

 large fruit. 



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