332 TREES IN WINTER 



RED MULBERRY 



Morus rubra L. 



HABIT — A small tree 15-25 ft. in height with trunk diameter of 8-15 

 inches, of larger size in the Ohio and Mississippi basins; trunk short, 

 dividing into a number of stout spreading limbs developing a compact, 

 broad, rounded head with numerous small branches, in aspect resembl- 

 ing an Apple tree. 



BARK — Dark brown, divided into irregular longitudinal plates which 

 tend to lift at the ends and flake off, sometimes, however, not con- 

 spicuously flaky. 



TWIGS — Slender though rather stouter than those of the White Mul- 

 berry; somewhat zigzag, reddish to greenish-brown, with rather 

 sweetish taste, cut twig showing milky juice. LENTICELS — small, 

 scattered, inconspicuous. 



L.EAF-SCARS — Alternate, 2-ranked, raised, nearly circular, slightly 

 hollowed in the center. STIPULE-SCARS— narrow. BUNDLE-SCARS— 

 raised but generally less distinctly so than in the White Mulberry, 

 forming a closed ring or irregularly scattered in the center. 



BIDS — Terminal bud absent, lateral buds ovate, pointed, about 6 mm. 

 long, stout but longer than broad, not at all or but slightly flattened, 

 divergent, shining, greenish to chestnut brown. BUD-SCALES — 2- 

 ranked, with thin, distinctly darker margins, 4-8 scales visible. 



FRUIT — Red, not to be found in winter. 



COMPARISONS — The Red is most readily separated from the White 

 Mulberry by its darker twigs, its larger shining, greenish to chestnut 

 brown buds with dark-margined bud-scales. 



DISTRIBUTION — Banks of rivers, rich woods. Canadian shore of 

 Lake Erie; south to Florida; west to Michigan, South Dakota, and 

 Texas. 



IN NEW ENGLAND — A rare tree; Maine — doubtfully reported; New 

 Hampshire — Pemigewasset valley. White Mountains; Vermont — northern 

 extremity of Lake Champlain, banks of the Connecticut, Pownal. North 

 Pownal; Massachusetts — rare; Connecticut — rare or occasional; Bristol, 

 Plainville, North Guilford, East Rock and Norwich; Rhode Island — no 

 station reported. 



WOOD — Light, soft, not strong, rather tough, coarse-grained, very 

 durable, light orange color with thick lighter colored sapwood, used 

 largely for fencing, in cooperage and in ship and boat building. 



