Mulberry

Mulberry 

- Peta Burchell

Mulberries are a wonderful example of a multifunctional permaculture plant. Most well-known for their abundance of delicious and nutritious berries, they are also a great shade plant, providing shade in summer and allowing sun in during winter.

They provide us with deciduous leaves for compost, and healthy teas to drink. When they are pruned (during autumn after the leaves have fallen), their branches can be cut and used to make durable baskets. Mulberries are also the sole food of the silkworm, an educational and child-friendly pet which creates precious silk, ready to be turned into something beautiful.

ORIGIN

The mulberry tree comes from a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae known as Morus. There are around 10–16 species of mulberries being grown around the world.

Black mulberry (Morus nigra) is native to western Asia. Red mulberry (Morus rubra), which is a bit hardier than black mulberry, is native to North America where it thrives in deep rich soils. White mulberry (Morus alba tatarica) is from China and was introduced into colonial America for the purpose of silkworm production.