=1. MÒRUS.= The Mulberries.
Trees with leaves 3-nerved at the base; flowers of two kinds on
different branches of the same tree or on different trees; the staminate
in long catkins, calyx 4-parted, petals none, stamens 4, the pistillate
catkins short; fruit an aggregate of drupes.
Leaves softly pubescent beneath 1 M. rubra.
Leaves glabrous beneath, or with a few hairs on the veins
or in the axils 2 M. alba.
=1. Morus rùbra Linnæus.= Red Mulberry. Plate 64. Medium sized trees
with short trunks and round heads; twigs at first green and puberulent,
soon becoming glabrous and later usually turning gray; leaves ovate or
somewhat orbicular, frequently 2-3 lobed, average mature blades 10-15
cm. long, more or less cordate at the base, abruptly taper-pointed,
rough and glabrous above and finely pubescent beneath; fruit ripening in
June or July, 1.5-3 cm. long, dark purple or nearly black, edible; wood
light, soft, rather tough, coarse-grained, and durable in contact with
the soil.
=Distribution.=--Southern Ontario west to eastern Dakotas, south to the
Gulf States and west to Texas. Found throughout Indiana, although there
are no records for the extreme northwestern counties. Throughout our
area it must be regarded as infrequent. It is only here and there that
you find a tree, and I have never seen it where there were even a small
number of trees close together. In the northern part of the State it is
usually found in a moist well drained soil, associated with trees such
as beech and sugar maple, or in lower ground with slippery elm and linn.
It has no particular affinity for streams. In the southern part of the
State it is found in both rich and poor soils. However, it is most often
met with near the base of slopes.
=Remarks.=--This tree seldom has a clear bole of more than 3-5 m. and is
usually a tree about 20 cm. in diameter, rarely as large as 6 dm. in
diameter, although there is a record[48] of a tree in Georgia that was
"7 feet in diameter at 3 feet above the ground."
The wood has been a favorite for fence posts since pioneer times. It
transplants easily. The fruit is a favorite with birds and for this
reason it should be planted about orchards and in woodlots. It is
sometimes called the red mulberry to distinguish it from the following
species.[49]
[Illustration: Plate 64.