por morus alba It is a species of deciduous tree with a branched and leafy stem that belongs to the Moraceae family. Known as white mulberry or simply mulberry, it is a native plant from China that is widely distributed throughout Asia, Southern Europe and America.
It is a tree with smooth and grayish bark when young, but rough and brown when old, it has numerous ramifications and a wide crown. Alternate, petiolate, oval, toothed or lobed leaves of a dark green colour, the unisexual flowers are grouped in very dense spikes, the fruit is an edible infructescence of a light or dark colour.
The mulberry is a wild species that is cultivated as an ornamental plant due to its dense foliage and resistance to adverse conditions. Its leaves are used as fodder for cattle or as food for the reproduction and breeding of silkworms.
In the cosmetics industry, the leaves and roots are raw material for obtaining extracts that are used to make skin softeners or conditioners. In herbalism, the knowledge of its roots has anti-inflammatory properties and the habitual consumption of the fruits increases the body’s defenses due to its antioxidant properties.
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General characteristics
Appearance
Deciduous tree 6-18 m tall, thin, smooth and greyish bark on young plants, thick, cracked and brownish on adult plants. Extensive branching, thin erect or pendulous branches, dense rounded crown. It is considered a very long-lived species, some specimens live more than 100 years.
Leaves
Simple, alternate, petiolate and deciduous leaves, measuring between 10-25 cm long and 5-15 cm wide. They are characterized by the variability of shapes, from heart-shaped, oval or rounded, some with two or more lobes, toothed and hairy margins.
The limb can be obliquely cordate and the apex pointed, glabrous and shiny on the upper surface, pubescent or opaque on the underside. Its coloration varies from bright-green to pale-green or yellow, with evident and hairy veins, as well as sharp marginal teeth.
Flowers
The unisexual flowers are grouped in inconspicuous greenish-cream catkins. The female or male flowers are located on the same foot or on separate feet, so they are monoecious or dioecious. Flowering occurs in mid-April and fruiting 30-40 days later.
fruits
The fruit is a cylindrical drupe, sometimes lanceolate, white, pink, red or black-purple in color that is grouped into infructescences. It is considered a compound fruit known as sorosis, similar to the blackberry, provided with a long stalk and when ripe it is pasty.
Chemical composition
The fruits of the mulberry are rich in sugars, proteins and vitamins, especially ascorbic acid or vitamin C, as well as calcium, copper and potassium. In addition, it contains anthocyanins, pectins, quercetin, resveratrol, malic acid and tartaric acid, and certain phenolic compounds, such as gallic acid.
In the leaves, the presence of organic acids betulinic, chlorogenic, gallic and protocatechuic, as well as r-hydrobenzoic, coumaric, ferulic and vanillic acids, is common. The roots and leaves also contain the compounds oxyresveratrol and mulberroside A, stilbenoids used in cosmetology.
taxonomy
– Kingdom: Plantae
– Phylum: Magnoliophyta
– Class: Magnoliopsida
– Order: Rosales
– Family: Moraceae
– Tribe: Moreae
– Gender: morus
– Species: morus alba L.
Etymology
– morus: the name of the genus comes from the Latin «morus, -i» and from the Greek «μορέα» used since ancient times to designate the name of the mulberry tree.
– Sunrise: the specific adjective derives from the Latin «albus, -a, -um» which means white, in reference to the color of its flowers, bark and fruits.
Synonymy
– acid morus Griff.
– morus australis Poir.
– M. bombycis Koidz.
– M. cavaleriei H. Lév.
– Morus chinensis Lodd. former Loudon
– Morus formosensis Hotta
– M. hastifolia F.T. Wang & T. Tang ex Z.Y. Cao
– Intermediate M. Dog.
– unusual morus H. Lév.
– Morus latifolia Poir.
– M longistylus diels
– M. multicaulis Dog.
– morus nigriformis (Bureau) Koidz.
– Morus tatarica L.
Habitat and distribution
the species morus alba It is native to Southwest Asia, specifically North China, Correa, and Manchuria. Since ancient times it has been naturalized in different temperate regions around the world because it constitutes the ideal environment to raise the silkworm.
Mulberry trees adapt to different types of soils, although they prefer deep, fertile and low acid soils. They grow in full sun or part shade, however, they need a large space as they reach a considerable size.
It is a rustic species that tolerates environmental pollution, severe pruning and large temperature variations, whether it is cold winter or hot summer. As long as it receives good lighting and has frequent availability of water.
In addition, it is very resistant to strong winds and tolerates saline soils. Indeed, it is an ideal plant to grow on land near the coast or coastline.
In the wild it is located in meadows, gallery forests or mountainous areas, on trails and roads, over an altitudinal range of 0-900 masl. It is easily propagated through seeds dispersed by birds or small mammals, at a commercial level by cuttings or grafts, being a fast-growing crop.
At present, it has been naturalized in many regions of Asia, Europe and America, being cultivated in the Mediterranean basin for many years. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been cultivated as an ornamental plant, being of great economic importance in the regions of Murcia and Granada for silkworm breeding.
Properties
Ornamental
In a tree that is cultivated as an ornamental in squares, parks and gardens due to its dense foliage and wide crown. During the summer months the mulberry trees provide close shading around them. As a hedge, it is used to separate boundaries and line walkways, streets or paths.
Medicinal
The root, bark, leaves and fruits of the mulberry tree have been used since ancient times for their therapeutic properties. Mulberry contains various secondary metabolites that give it an anti-fever, diuretic, vermifuge and emollient effect.
The ingestion of infusions prepared with the root is effective to calm the cough, relieve the symptoms of bronchitis and as an expectorant against asthma. The fruits are appreciated for their tonic effect in case of hypertension, insomnia and certain depressive symptoms, such as neurasthenia. The leaves have antipyretic action.
Industrial
the roots of morus alba They have a high content of tannins and pigments that are used to dye various types of fabrics. In addition, the fibers of its bark are used to manufacture ropes of great strength and quality.
The hard, permeable and yellowish wood is used to manufacture slats, beams, posts or rustic furniture. Likewise, it is perfect for making sporting goods such as tennis, table tennis or badminton rackets, hockey rackets, cricket bats, even agricultural implements.
food
The fruits are used to make juices, compotes and jams. In the same way, they are used as raw material in confectionery, to decorate cakes and the elaboration of artisan liqueurs.
Forage
the species morus alba It is considered the only food source for the species. Bombyx mori L., one of the major silk-producing worms in the world. In fact, the mulberry is a plant of great economic importance for countries that depend on silk production.
Silkworm breeding consists of keeping the eggs in a closed environment with a constant temperature of 18ºC. Egg incubation is achieved by gradually increasing the temperature to 25 ºC.
Once the worms have developed, they are fed hand-chopped mulberry leaves until they are fattened and enter the cocoon stage. From this stage on, the silk that forms around the cocoon is extracted by boiling the eggs, producing filaments up to 900 m long.
In some regions, the young leaves are used as fodder to feed cattle.
Varieties
Raft
Variety of erect habit, very branched and vigorous, the foliation appears during the month of March. Lanceolate, pale green, glossy leaves, irregular and serrated blade, medium-sized, rounded, black fruits, sweet flavor. Abundant production.
Christian
It is considered the most cultivated variety in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula for silkworm breeding. It is a highly branched tree of medium vigor, lanceolate leaves, small black fruits, late foliage between April and May.
Filipina or multicaule
Early variety that is usually affected by frost. In a tree with an open habit and widely ramified, large leaves with a rough and rough texture, black fruits, medium size and sour taste, not very productive.
pendulum
Variety cultivated only as an ornamental plant, it is a vigorous tree with pendulous branches, the foliage appears between April and May. Medium-sized, twisted, lanceolate leaves, toothed margins, abundant, medium-sized, black, very sweet fruits.
Valencian
Two sub-varieties are common, one early and the other late, the late being the one indicated for silkworm rearing during autumn. It is a little branched tree, large, cordate, bright green leaves, curled in the early variety, medium-sized white fruits.
Widow
Variety with a globose habit, leafy, but little branched, the foliation appears at the end of March. Small, lanceolate, light-green leaves, irregularly toothed margins, abundant white, medium-sized, rounded and very sweet fruits.
Crop
Spread
The mulberry propagates sexually by means of seeds or vegetatively through cuttings or grafts. Commercially, propagation by seed is ineffective, due to the low germination percentage of its seeds, which is around 50%.
Seed propagation is used at an experimental level when it is desired to obtain new varieties according to selective crosses to improve their phenotypic characteristics. Germination is carried out in seedbeds or germination beds with a substrate of fine sand and organic matter, maintaining continuous humidity until the seedlings emerge.
For multiplication by means of cuttings a piece of young branch 10-15 cm long and 4-5 leaf buds are required. The cuttings are introduced into a fertile substrate, after applying rooting phytohormones, ensuring constant humidity and temperature until the rootlets sprout.
Requirements
– The mulberry adapts to a wide range of climatic conditions, be it winter frosts or hot summer environments. Its growth range ranges from 15 ºC to 40 ºC.
– It is a rustic plant that grows on different types of soils, since…