Leaf:  Alternate, simple. There are two different types of leaves. One leaf is toothed and is almost a heart shape. It is about 3 to 5 inches long. The other leaf is lobed. There are usually 3 to 4 lobes on a leaf. They are also 3 to 5 inches long.

Flower:    Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately, either on the same tree or on different trees. Appearing as the leaves unfold, green clusters up to 2 inches long, the pistillate crowded into short, thick spikes up to 1 inch long.

Fruit:    Resembling blackberries, up to one and a half inches long. The berries are first red and then turn purple, or nearly black.

Twig:    The twigs can be smooth or slightly hairy.

Bark:    Dark brown, divided into long, scaly plates

Form:    Tree

The Red Mulberry's uses are fence posts, barrels, and edible fruits. Some ways to tell the Red Mulberry from the White Mulberry is by the hairs on the lower leaf. The Red Mulberry's medium height is up to 50 feet tall. The diameter of the trunk can get up to 2 feet. The Red Mulberry has many short branches.

Distribution: Eastern United States

Location:    N 39° 025.44' W 89° 56.879' In front of Meissner Elementary School.
                    N 39°02.48  W89°57.69 Northern part of Bunker Hill High School campus.

© Community Unit School District #8 Bunker Hill, 504 E. Warren, Bunker Hill, IL 62014
References:
Bell, C. Ritchie and Anne H. Lindsey, Fall Color and Woodland Harvests. Chapel Hill, NC: Laurel Hill Press, 1990
Cassie, Brian, First Field Guide Trees. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 1999
Mohlenbrock, Robert H., Forest Trees of Illinois. Springfield, IL: 1992

Back to homepage