Morus rubra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Red Mulberry | ||||||||||||||
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 The bark of the Red mulberry tree
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| Morus rubra L. |
The Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) is a species of mulberry, native to eastern North America, from southernmost Ontario and Vermont south to southern Florida and west to southeast South Dakota and central Texas. Red Mulberry is listed as an endangered species in Canada, and is common in the United States.[1][2]
It is a deciduous tree, growing to 10-15 m tall, rarely 20 m, with a trunk up to 50 cm diameter. The leaves are alternate, 7-14 cm long and 6-12 cm broad, simple, broadly cordate, with a shallow notch at the base, unlobed on mature trees, often with 2-3 lobes on young trees, and with a finely serrated margin.[1]
The fruit is a compound cluster of several small drupes, similar in appearance to a blackberry, 2-3 cm long, red ripening dark purple, edible and very sweet with a good flavor.[1]
[edit] Status
The species is threatened by extensive hybridization with the invasive White Mulberry, introduced from Asia.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Flora of North America: Morus rubra
- ^ Ambrose, J. D., & Kirk, D. (2004). National Recovery Strategy for Red Mulberry (Morus rubra L.). Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- ^ Burgess, K. S., Morgan, M., Deverno, L., & Husband, B. C. (2005). Asymmetrical introgression between two Morus species (M. alba, M. rubra) that differ in abundance. Molec. Ecol. 14: 3471–3483 pdf file.
