Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Fruit EdibleTrees

Morus rubra

red mulberry

A medium-sized, upright, deciduous tree with dark green, oval-shaped leaves which turn yellow in autumn. Inconspicuous pale green catkin-like flowers appear in May and June, followed on female varieties by cylinder-shaped sweet and juicy red to dark purple blackberry-like fruits

Other common names

American mulberry

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

8–12 metres

Time to ultimate height

20–50 years

Ultimate spread

4–8 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Moraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy, Spreading branched
Genus: Morus are deciduous trees and shrubs with broadly ovate, sometimes deeply lobed leaves and inconspicuous green flowers followed by usually edible white, red or black fruit
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist, humus-rich, fertile soils with shelter from cold, dry winds. See mulberry cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings in mid-summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Cottage and informal garden
Edible fruit

Pruning

Pruning group 1, prune in late summer to early winter to avoid bleeding

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to mulberry leaf spot, mulberry canker, coral spot, powdery mildews and honey fungus (rarely)

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.