Broussonetia papyrifera seed

LATIN NAME: BROUSSONETIA PAPYRIFERA

COMMON NAME: Paper Mulberry

In the thickets and the waysides of the east, the paper mulberry grows as a fast, spreading, deciduous tree with the broad, rough, deeply lobed leaves and the small, separate male and female flower catkins, the female trees carrying the round, orange-red, fleshy fruit clusters in the late summer. The young plant grows into a multi-stemmed clump, to about twelve metres. It is content in the full sun and the deep, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The paper mulberry holds a place in the studies of the fibre trees of the east, its inner bark and its lobed leaves keeping it in view in the work on the paper-making barks of the region and the fast pioneer trees of the disturbed ground. The research looks at the way the lobed leaves vary with the age of the tree, the orange fruit clusters ripen and fall, and the seed biology of the fine seeds within the fleshy fruits.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the wild garden and the pioneer planting, the paper mulberry grows fast to clothe the bare ground and carries the orange fruit clusters that feed the birds in the late summer. The bark has made the paper and the cloth of the region since the old times, and the tree makes the fine pioneer tree, the fibre tree and the quick shade tree of the rough garden. It is a tree for the open, sunny, deep and well-drained place.

To grow the Paper Mulberry from seed, sow the tiny seeds as soon as the fruits are crushed and rinsed.

Sow the tiny seeds as soon as the fruits are crushed and rinsed, and keep the young trees in the open, sunny spot. The broad leaves clothe the fast-growing crown.

LATIN NAME: Broussonetia papyrifera

COMMON NAME: Paper Mulberry, Tapa Cloth Tree

The paper mulberry is a tree that gave the world paper, and its story runs through the history of the Pacific. It establishes itself as a rosette of leaves, to about sixty centimetres. It is native to East and Southeast Asia, and it was carried by people across the Pacific, because its inner bark makes the tapa cloth and bark paper that have been used for centuries, and it has followed human settlement through Oceania, which is why it is found wherever the old voyagers landed.

The paper mulberry belongs to the mulberry family, Moraceae, and it is native to East and Southeast Asia, from China, Japan and Korea through Southeast Asia. It has been widely cultivated and is now found in many parts of the world, valued for its bark, its fruit and its rapid growth. Its broad, rough leaves are a handsome feature of their own, and in autumn the female trees are covered with the round, orange-red fruits, which are sweet and full of tiny seeds, a treat for people and birds alike, while the strong, fibrous inner bark is the part that gave the tree its name.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The paper mulberry has a distinguished and growing place in both archaeological and botanical research. Its inner bark has been used for centuries to make tapa cloth and bark paper, and the tree has been studied in archaeology and in research on the history of the Pacific, since its spread across Oceania marks the routes of the old Polynesian voyagers, and researchers have used the plants genetics to trace the migrations of the peoples who carried it. The tree has also been studied in forestry and ecology, since it is a fast-growing pioneer that colonises disturbed ground, and in some regions it has become invasive, so researchers have examined its growth and its management. The bark and other parts have also been studied for their traditional uses and their chemistry. For a tree of such deep connection to human history, the paper mulberry has an exceptionally rich record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the paper mulberry is a generous tree of the disturbed ground. Its orange-red fruits feed birds and small mammals, its broad leaves give shelter, and its fast growth quickly covers and stabilises cleared ground.

Its economic value is historic and real. Its inner bark has been used for centuries to make tapa cloth and bark paper across the Pacific, and it is still used for traditional crafts, while the tree is also grown for its sweet fruit and for paper-making and as a fast-growing pioneer. For a grower, the paper mulberry is a fast and useful tree, and for a gardener it brings sweet fruit and a living piece of Pacific history. The seeds germinate readily — sow them in a pot of moist compost in spring, keep them warm and lightly watered, and theyll be up within a couple of weeks, growing on quickly into a tree that will fruit and serve you for years.

The Paper Mulberry tree originates from Asia but is now found both in Europe and America, it is a frost hardy deciduous tree producing attractive orange blossom in the Spring followed by small edible red fruit in the Summer.

Germination: Cold stratify seeds for 2-3 months in moist sowing mix. Sow 1cm deep in coir or sowing mix + sand or perlite. Keep bright and constantly moist but not wet.