red mulberry Moraceae Morus rubra L.   symbol: MORU2
	Leaf: Alternate, simple, broadly ovate to roughly orbicular, 3 to 5 inches long, serrate margin, highly variable in that they may have no lobes or be highly dissected into lobes; green above with a rough scabrous texture, paler and fuzzy below. Flower: Normally Dioecious; small, pale green; male flowers are hanging catkins, 1 to 2 inches long; females are 1 inch long catkins, both appearing in late spring. Fruit: Resembling blackberries, cylindrical, 1 to 1 1/4 inches long, fleshy multiples of drupes, each containing a small seed, maturing in summer. Twig: Slender, zigzag, green changing to red-brown, sometimes pubescent; buds are covered with brown-margined overlapping scales; leaf scars shield-shaped and somewhat sunken; silvery-white filaments present when broken. Bark: Gray-brown and quite irregular with long, scaly ridges. Younger trees are often orangish, especially when wet. Form: A small tree to 60 feet in height, with a short trunk that typically branches low.
	USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS Additional Silvics - USDA Plants Database Morus rubra is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting red mulberry (opens a new window).