Alien Invasives
Common Mulberry (Morus alba)
03 October 2016
- Other names
- White mulberry
Silkworm mulberry - Invasive status
- NEMBA Category 3
- Description
- Mulberries are medium-sized, deciduous trees that are widely cultivated in gardens for fruit (and its leaves are used to feed silkworms). The bright green leaves can be up to 30cm long on young and vigorous shoots with deeply and intricately lobed margins. Older trees bare leaves that are generally smaller (5 to 15cm long) and tend to be less lobed with serrated margins.
. In spring and early summer Mulberry trees are covered in red to black delicious fruits.
- Originally from
- Northern China
- Where is it a problem?
- Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces
- How does it spread?
- Seed dispersal by fruit-eating birds
- Why is it a problem?
- Because of its high growth rate and ability to adapt to different environments, it manages to quickly out-compete native plants and spreads rampantly.
- Uses
- Edible fruit and leaves for silkworm feeding
Please help...
Any donations would be greatly appreciated and are much needed to support these efforts. Please consider setting up a stop order with your bank for a regular monthly contribution rather than (or in addition to) a one-off donation. This would greatly assist us in budgeting and planning for the future.
Please EFT to the following account:
| Bank: | Nedbank |
| Branch name: Branch code: |
Morning Glen Branch 198 765 |
| Account Name: | Sandspruit Ullmann Park Association |
| Account Number: | 1014 852 641 |
| Reference: | Your name |
Any questions? Please contact us by clicking here.