Morus rubra

Scientific Name: Morus rubra

Common Name: red mulberry

Native Range: Eastern United States, extreme southeastern Canada

Zone: 4 to 8

Plant type & Form: upright spreading to rounded, deciduous tree

Height: 35.00 to 50.00 feet

Spread: 35.00 to 40.00 feet

Bloom Time: March to April

Bloom Description: Green

Flower: greenish flowers in small catkin-like spikes

Leaf: Ovate to oblong-ovate, toothed, usually dark green leaves (to 5” long) have heart-shaped bases. Leaves can be quite variable, however, ranging from unlobed to deeply lobed and from rough-textured to glabrous on the upper surfaces.

Bark: reddish-brown

Fruit: sweet blackberry-like edible fruits (to 1” long) that are reddish to dark purple in color. Fruits are sweet and juicy and may be eaten off the tree.

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium

Soil type & pH: rich, moist, well-drained soils

Maintenance: Medium

Suggested Use: Naturalize

Tolerates: Drought, Air Pollution

Identification notes: Look for lobed leaves. Lobed leaves are more frequently found on new shoots and unlobed leaves are more frequently found in tree crowns.