Mulberries, Fruit
Mulberries is the common name given to the 10-16 species of flowering plants in the genus Morus, in family Moraceae. They are native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, America, Africa and Asia, with majority of species native to Asia. Mulberries are usually grown for their fruits. Mulberries are deciduous trees with robust growing habit when young, but are slow-grower when they are established. They usually grow up to 10-15 m tall. The leaves are simple with serrated margins. Juvenile shoots usually produced lobed leaves than mature trees. The fruit of mulberry tree is a multiple fruit, 2-3 cm long. The fruit is white or green to pale yellow with pink edges when young, turning red then dark purple to black and tastes sweet when fully ripen. White-fruited cultivar has fruits that are green when young, and white when ripe. The white fruit is also sweet but has a very mild flavor compared to the darker variety. The ripe fruits are edible and are used extensively in jams, sherbets, pies, tarts, wines and cordials. The leaves of white mulberry are particularly used as a food source for the silkworm (Bombyx mori), which used to make silk. The leaves are also a food source for other Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) larvae such as common emerald, lime hawk-moth, and the sycamore. Propagation of mulberries is by seeds or through cuttings.  Mulberries Author: B.navez (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported) | ||
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