MORRENIA 



Cynanchum) and the tubular corona, which is longer 

 than the pistils, viUose on the inside, and conniving 

 over the pistils. The Ivs. are opposite and hastate. M. 

 odorata, Lindl., is offered by Franceschi, S. Calif. It 

 has white fragrant fls. in dense cymes in the axils. De 

 scribed by Lindley as long ago as 1838, but appears 

 never to have been brought into cultivation. Franceschi 

 says it is "a noble vine; foliage very distinct." Argen- 

 tine and Paraguay. 



MORUS 



1033 



1424. 1425. 



Staminate flower of Pistillate flower of 



Russian Mulberry, Russian Mulberry. 



Eiilargeil. Enl,-irg«-il. 



-"MORUS I the ancient Latin name). C)-tici}ceif: or 

 Mordceie. Mulberrv. About 100 species of Mulberry 

 have been described, but the latest monographer (Bu- 

 reau, DO. Frodr. 17:237 [1873J) reduces them to 5. 

 Some of the names are now referred to other genera. 

 Many of the names represent cultural forms of M. alba. 

 Mulberries are grown as food for silkworms and for the 

 edible fruits. The silkworm Mulberry of history is M. 

 alba, and the fruit-bearing Mulberry of history is M. 

 tiifjra. Yet, strangely enough, the leading fruit-bearing 

 varieties of North America are derived from M. alba 

 (see Bailey, Bull. 41, Cornell E.\p. Sta., and '"Evolution 

 of Our Native Fruits "). The native M. rubra has also 

 given v.irietie^ which are grown for their fruits. The 

 silkwcnri Miilli.-TTv of the Chinese is M. miiUieaiillx. by 

 soiii.- r,,n,ii]. re a to be aformof J/. a;^n. This was intro- 

 dure.l \u\" X'i-tU .Vnierica early in the century, and for a 

 tiuie tlicie w:is the wildest speculation in the selling and 

 planting of the Mulberry tree, and in the rearing of 

 silkworms. These efforts have now largely passed away 

 in North America. 31. multicaulis gave rise to one va- 

 riety which was prized for its fruits, the Downing. This 

 variety is now little known, but the name has been pop- 

 ularly but erroneously transferred to a good variety of 

 M.a'lhn | the New American) . 



The Mulberries are trees of the temperate regions of 

 the Old and New World. The genus Morus usually has 

 moncecious flowers, both sexes being in small hanging 

 axillary catkins, the males soon falling (Figs. 1422-23). 

 The calyx is 4-partert: stamens 4, the filaments partially 

 inclosed in the calyx -lobes ( Fig. 1424). In the pistillate 

 flower there is one ovary with 2 stigmas, and the 4 calyx- 

 lobes are adherent to the ovary (Fig. 1425). The pistil- 

 late flowers "become fleshy and cohere 

 finto a long multiple fruit which sug- 

 irests a blackberry in external appear- 



In North America the Mulberrv is 

 known .-biefly as a fruit-bearing tree, 

 .ilthouL'li it is never planted exten- 

 sively and the fruit is scarcely known 

 in the market. Two or three trees 

 about the home grounds are sufiScient 

 to sup|ily a family. The fruits are 

 swiet and soft. To many people they 

 111- too sweet. Because of their sweet- 

 ness they are of little value for culi' 

 nary uses. They usually drop when 

 ripe. They are harvested by being 

 shaken on sheets or straw. Birds are 

 1426. Fruit of exceedingly fond of them. In the 

 Morus alba. East and North, varieties of M. alba 

 Natural size. are chiefly grown, as the New Ameri- 

 can ( Downing of most present nurser- 

 ies), Thorburn and Trowbridge. On the Pacific coast 

 and in some parts of the South, varieties of M. niqra- 

 are grown, particularly the Black Persian. In parts of 

 the South forms of the native M. rubra are grown, as 

 Hicks and Stubbs. These are popular for planting in 

 hog pastures, as the animals like the fruits. The Mul- 

 berry thrives in any garden soil. It does well even on 



thin gravels and rocky slopes. For fruit -bearing pur- 

 poses, trees may be planted from 20 to 40 feet apart. 



The Russian Mulberries are offshoots of M. alba. 

 Their particular merits are great hardiness to withstand 

 cold drought an 1 neglect The\ are useful for low 

 wind break an i il f r 1 111 I'hey have 



become fcpil r I il II lilv propa- 



gated b\ e 1 11 1 III variable. 



Now and th i I it 1 I i md it may 



be nan.ed i J j i „ t 1 1 ut 1 i th not part the 

 Rus lan Mull err 1 i littk merit for its fruits unless 

 one desires to fee 1 the buds 



\ arieties of 'Mull ernes are now mostly worked on 

 seedlings of tl e H i i m One of the most successful 

 grafts IS s D W 1 11 shown in Fig 1427. The 



grafting is p t 1 | when the bark will slip. 



Using cions w 1 1 k pt perfectly dormant or 



on ice n 1 tl I it 1 emg cut thin so 



that t w 11 11 ark and wood of 



the t k 1 made through 



the 1 k c shows the 



gr 



the South. These 



if set deep enough. 



There are many Mulberries with ornamental forms. 

 Of these, the most popular in America at present is 

 Teas' Weeping, a chance seedling of the Russian Mul- 



d, the graft waxed. 



berry tribe. When grafted several feet high on straight 

 Russian stock, it makes one of the best of small wee^)- 

 ing lawn trees (Fig. 1428). It originated on the grounds 

 of John C. Teas, Carthage, Mo., about 1883. Various 

 cut-leaved forms, mostly of M. alba, are seen in fine 

 collections, of which the form known as M. nervosa 

 (Fig. 1429) is one of the best. The foliage of Mulber- 

 ries is interesting because so variable. Even on the 

 same tree there may be leaves of several forms, while 

 different trees of the same species may show strong in- 

 dividual traits. The most striking variations are in the 

 lobing of the leaves. 



A. Lvs. mostly bright and glabrous above, and usually 



glossy. 



B. Style very short or practically none. 



Alba, Linn. White Mulberry. Figs. 1430, 1432 B. 



Lvs. light green, rather small, smooth or very nearly so 



above and oft.n -liinin-, ilt. \iin- i.nmiiiM'nt beneath 



and whitish, 1.1 1 ■ :.:. • ', iIh l-:,~al lobes 



unequal, the t. , i -i p:o t rounded 



or nearlv obtii-. ■" .: i. ■■! l r;i;. i-li yellow: 



fr. variable, no, ,;;., ,i,o i«.,v. 1-J o,. l-i... ulnir or violet, 

 very sw.-.-t. (inn:!. - J/.okn o//«; ha- \,rvu onltivated 

 from th.. .;.rli.-l lllii.-s, chh.lly f..r I'.-.-.ljn- the silk 

 worm. It i- ;. fi..i|ii..Tit tr.-e ah.iiL,- I'oa.Nhh.^ aiol in the 

 old var.ls ill th.- . a-i.Tii stat.s, wh.-r.. the trunk some- 

 time's attains a .liai.i.-t.r ..f tw.. I. . t. This half-wild 

 form usually Iia~ latli, i- -mall r..oii.l.'.l shining leaves 

 with very largi- ]..ini.h.l i. etli. .iml h.ars little whitish 

 or violet" fruits, whhli are very sweet. Sometimes the 



