Trees of New York State 211 



MORACEAE 



Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent. [Morus papyrifera L. ; Pupyrius papyri- 



fera (L.) Kuntze.] 



Paper Mulberry 



Habit — A small or mediuiii-sized tree 3U-.jO feet in height with a trunk 

 diameter of 1-4 feet. Bole stout, in age often oddly gnarled and convo- 

 luted. Crown wide-spreading, round-topped, consisting of many rather 

 stout, densely hairy branches. Spreads freely by root-suckers. 



Leaves — Alternate, broadl}' ovate to oval, 3-8 inches long, acuminate at the 

 apex, rounded or eordate at the base, serrate, dentate on the margin or 

 mitten-shaped or 3-lobed with oblique sinuses which are rounded or jagged 

 at the bottom, at maturity dark green, dull and scabrous above, paler and 

 velvety-tomentose below, borne on pubescent, terete petioles 2-4 inches 

 long which exude a milky juice when broken. 



Flowers — Appearing in May or early June when the leaves are partly gro^^^l. 

 inconspicuous, dioecious, the staminate in cylindrical, stalked, nodding 

 aments, the pistillate in dense, globose heads. Calyx of staminate flower 

 pubescent without, deeply 4-cleft, its lobes ovate, rounded and spreading. 

 Stamens 4, exserted, inserted opposite the lobes of the calyx. Eudinien- 

 tary ovary present. Calyx of pistillate flower tubular, enclosing a stalked 

 ovary which bears an exserted, laterally inserted, filiform style and ter- 

 minal stigma. 



Fruit — Globular, loosely multiple, pedunculate, about % of an inch in diame- 

 ter, consisting of many small, fleshy, red druplets. each exserted above a 

 persistent calyx. 



Winter characters — Twigs medium stout, zigzag, greenish gray, pubescent or 

 scabrous. Terminal bud absent. Lateral buds ovate, attenuate, divergent, 

 greenish brown, about % of an inch long. Visible bud-scales 2-3. Mature 

 bark nearly smooth, greenish gray marked by longitudinal, anastomosing, 

 pale yellow lines, becoming gnarled and convoluted with age. 



Habitat — "Waste places along roadsides, in abandoned fields, and about the 

 habitations of man. 



Range — Introduced as an ornamental plant from eastern Asia and the neigh- 

 boring islands. Now widely naturalized in the eastern states as far north 

 as New York City. Zone A. 



Uses — The fibrous inner bark is an important source of paper-making mate- 

 rial in China and Japan. Readily propagated by seeds or cuttings and 

 extensively grown for ornament where the climate is not too rigorous. 

 Wood soft, light, coarse-grained, easily worked. Of no importance in the 

 United States. 



