Morus nigra L.

Description :

Back mulberry or Blackberry is a small deciduous tree cultivated worldwide, mainly for its edible fruits. Its leaves can be used to feed silkworms for the silk production. This plant is a dark green coloured deciduous shrub that grows up to 5-10m tall. The trunk is short. The stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem is short. The leaf blades are asymmetrical and broad at the base and shortly acuminate on top. The flowers are small and not very attractive. Fruits are between 1-3cm in length and 2-3 cm in diameter. The fruit is black, glossy, sweetish sour, and juicy. Its shoots and branches have yellowish colour.

Distribution :

Black mulberry originates from Pakistan, India, Iran and Afghanistan. It has been cultivated in the Mediterranean area since ancient times. Black mulberry is now naturalized and cultivated. This plant is particularly favoring the places with dry and hot summers but is can also be cultivated in tropical humid regions at above 1000m and up to 2000m altitude and in areas where annual rainfall is between 500-2000mm.

Uses :

It has many uses including edible, medicinal, agroforestry and many others. Fruit can be eaten as raw as well as dried and also can be cooked and used in preservers. The mulberry has a long history of medicinal use in Chinese medicines, almost all parts of the plant are used in one are another way like extracts from roots and leaves can be used for the antibacterial activity.  Fruit has soothing effect on kidney and can also help to treat the constipation. Medicines made from the bark are used to treat respiratory problems. The tree is planted for shade, shelter, as a windbreak, as an ornamental and living fence. Other uses include are the dyes and fiber manufacturing.

 

 

(Lim and Choi, 2019; Alonzo, 1999)