FNPS Plant Database

Morus rubra

red mulberry
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

red mulberry

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Morus rubra

Family:

Moraceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

35-50 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms mid- to late spring. Fruits ripen late summer-early fall.

Noted For:

Showy Fruits, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Plant tree in areas where fallen fruit will not be an issue.

Considerations:

Fallen fruits are messy.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡â–¡

Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

acid to alkaline

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Birds, Mammals

Fruits are very popular with birds and mammals and some reptiles (for example, Eastern box turtle )

Native Habitats:

Upper floodplains, hammocks, mesic forests..

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Edible fruits.

General Comments:

Wind pollinated.  Dioecious.  According to Huegel (2010), the flowers attract insects.

Citations:

Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [Technical coordinators] 1990. Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654 ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). 



Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses).



Institute for Regional Conservation.  Accessed 2021.  Natives for Your Neighborhood.   https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Morurubr.



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update