364 



The Mulberries 



The staminate catkins are cylindric, i to 2 cm. long, on stalks 0.75 to 1.5 cm. 

 long, somewhat crowded. The pistillate catkins are oval, 5 to 8 mm. long, on 

 short thin hairy stalks. The fruit ripens in June or July, is oblong, i to 2 cm. 

 long, black when fully ripe, with a deep red juice. 



The wood is moderately hard, rather close-grained, yellowish brown. Its 

 specific gravity is about 0.65. It is used like the wood of the White mulberry. 



The juice of the ripe fruit is official in several European pharmacopoeias, and 

 in the form of a s)T^p is popular as a mild laxative and as an adjuvant to nauseous 

 medicines. 



The tree is very similar to the White mulberry in many respects, and hard to 

 distinguish from it except by the black fruit. 



3. TEXAN MULBERRY —Morns microphylla Buckley 



Morus celtidijolia Sargent, not Humboldt, Bonpland and Kunth 



This small tree, or shrub, occurs in various situations near our Mexican boun- 

 dary, from western Texas to eastern Arizona and in northern Mexico. Its maxi- 

 mum height is 10 meters, with a trunk diameter of 4 dm. 



The bark is about 10 nun. thick, furrowed and covered with small close red- 

 dish gray scales, on young stems, 

 thinner and smooth. The twigs 

 are green and whitish hairy, soon 

 becoming nearly smooth, yellow- 

 ish brown, bearing large leaf scars. 

 The buds are ovoid, about 3 mm. 

 long, sharp-pointed and covered 

 by bright brown shining scales. 

 The leaves are thin and firm, 

 ovate, oval or suborbicular, 2 to 6 

 cm. long, taper-pointed, rounded 

 and slightly heart-shaped at the 

 base, margined by stout teeth, 

 sometimes 3-lobed, hairy when un- 

 folding, becoming less so, deep 

 green and roughened above, pale, 

 rough and often hairy, especially 

 along the strong yellow midrib, 

 beneath; leaf-stalk slender, hairy, 

 from 0.5 to I cm. long. The flowers open from March to May, according to alti- 

 tude, and are usually dioecious. The staminate catkins are oblong, 1.8 to 2.5 cm. 

 long, one third of which is stalk. The flowers are very numerous, short pedicelled; 

 the perianth is dark green, hairy without, deeply 4-lobed, the lobes rounded and 

 often red at the apex; the stamens have filiform filaments and yellow anthers; 



Fig. 323. — Tejian Mulberry. 



