Morus australis

Chinese species

MoraceaeMorus

The Chinese mulberry is a member of the mulberry or Moraceae family and is a deciduous, bushy tree native of China, Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, a tree growing up to 8 m tall or a shrub up to 5 m tall.

  • Leaves are very variable in size and shape, ordinarily ovate with a truncate or heart-shaped base and toothed, but often very deeply three or five-lobed, the lobes themselves being deeply scalloped, 5–15 cm long and not as wide; petiole is 2–3.7 cm long.
  • Male catkins are up to 3 cm long, female catkins up to 4 cm long and silky-hairy.
  • Fruit is a berry (more technically a multiple fruit), dark red, juicy, sweet, up to 1.4 cm long.

Contributors

  • Philippe de Spoelberch