Morus alba Seeds | Dry Mulberry Mulberries Fruit Berry
LATIN NAME: Morus alba
COMMON NAME: Mulberry
Plant Profile
Mulberry (Morus alba) grows as a tree in the mulberry family. Mulberry holds its broad, toothed leaves and small, clustered, white or dark fruits, and the whole tree carries the deep, spreading shade. It is a tree of open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained ground. Its open flowers are a reliable stop for bees and other pollinating visitors. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
The white mulberry carries a quiet pharmacological distinction: its leaves and root bark contain 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), an iminosugar that inhibits alpha-glucosidase — the same enzyme targeted by the diabetes drug acarbose — which has driven clinical interest in mulberry leaf preparations for moderating post-meal blood glucose. Small human trials report blunted glucose spikes after carbohydrate meals. The leaves are also the obligatory food of the silkworm, and the fruit is a neglected pleasure fresh from the tree. As with all glucose-lowering agents, people on diabetes medication should use medicinal doses cautiously.
Research touching on Morus alba ranges from the botany of the mulberry family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. In the laboratory and trial ground alike, it serves as workable material for propagation research and line selection.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Mulberry earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Mulberry is a fine, generous tree of old garden and study collection. It is a fine, generous tree of open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained garden. Give young trees deep, moist bed, and dark fruits will come in years to come. It establishes readily and then requires nothing out of the ordinary.
Mulberry is a four-way medicinal tree: the fruits are an iron-rich tonic food, the leaves brew a tea studied for slowing starch absorption via DNJ, the root bark, Sang Bai Pi, is a classical cough herb, and the twigs, Sang Zhi, soothe joints in Chinese medicine.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Mulberry, and the process is uncomplicated. Sow on the surface of a gritty, well-drained mix, cover lightly with fine compost, and maintain gentle, even moisture in a sunny position. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
The traditional uses covered above are what first made this species worth cultivating. Once established, Mulberry largely looks after itself. What it needs is basic: sun, drainage, and a little patience while it establishes.
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