Morus nigra

Last updated

Black mulberry
Illustration Morus nigra0.jpg
Plate from book: Flora of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (1885)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Morus
Species:
M. nigra
Binomial name
Morus nigra
L.
Mulberries, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 180 kJ (43 kcal)
9.8 g
Sugars 8.1
Dietary fiber 1.7 g
Fat
0.39 g
Saturated 0.27 g
Monounsaturated 0.041 g
Polyunsaturated 0.207 g
1.44 g
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
0%
1 μg
Vitamin A 25 IU
Thiamine (B1)
2%
0.029 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
8%
0.101 mg
Niacin (B3)
4%
0.62 mg
Vitamin B6
3%
0.05 mg
Folate (B9)
2%
6 μg
Choline
2%
12.3 mg
Vitamin C
40%
36.4 mg
Vitamin E
6%
0.87 mg
Vitamin K
7%
7.8 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
3%
39 mg
Iron
10%
1.85 mg
Magnesium
4%
18 mg
Phosphorus
3%
38 mg
Potassium
6%
194 mg
Sodium
0%
10 mg
Zinc
1%
0.12 mg

Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [2]

Morus nigra, called black mulberry [3] (not to be confused with the blackberries that are various species of Rubus ), [4] is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae that is native to southwestern Asia, where it has been cultivated for so long that its precise natural range is unknown. [5] The black mulberry is known for its large number of chromosomes.

Contents

Description

Morus nigra is a deciduous tree growing to 12 metres (39 feet) tall by 15 m (49 ft) broad. The leaves are 10–20 centimetres (4–8 inches) long by 6–10 cm (2–4 in) broad up to 23 cm (9 in) long on vigorous shoots, downy on the underside, the upper surface rough with very short, stiff hairs. Each somatic cell has 308 chromosomes in total, and exhibits tetratetracontaploidy (44x), meaning that its genome contains seven chromosomes, and each somatic cell has 44 copies of each. [6]

The fruit is a compound cluster of several small drupes that are dark purple, almost black when ripe, and they are 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter. [7] Black mulberry is richly flavoured, similar to the red mulberry ( Morus rubra ) rather than the more insipid fruit of the white mulberry ( Morus alba ). Mulberry fruit color derives from anthocyanins. [8] [ irrelevant citation ]

Sometimes other mulberry species are confused with black mulberry, particularly black-fruited individuals of the white mulberry. Black mulberry may be distinguished from the other species by the uniformly hairy lower surface of its leaves. [9]

Cultivation and uses

Black mulberries (Morus nigra) are thought to have originated in the mountainous areas of Mesopotamia and Persia (i.e. Armenian highlands). Black mulberry is planted, and often naturalised, west across much of Europe, including Ukraine, and east into China. Now they are widespread throughout Armenia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and Turkey.[ citation needed ]

The fruit is edible [7] and the tree has long been cultivated for this property. Both the tree and the fruit are known by the Persian-derived names toot (mulberry) or shahtoot (شاه توت) (king's or "superior" mulberry), or, in Arabic, as shajarat tukki. Often, jams and sherbets are made from the fruit in this region.[ citation needed ]

The fruit has been present in the Southern Levant since antiquity. In the Books of Maccabees, it is noted that the Greeks used the fruit to provoke their war elephants in preparation for battle against Jewish rebels during the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd century BCE. The fruit is also mentioned in the Mishnah and later rabbinic texts. In the 9th century CE, Al-Kindi referenced the fruit as having healing seeds, while Ibn Badis, writing in the 11th century, noted its use in the production of ink. [10]

In Europe, the largest-documented local concentration of black mulberries may be found in the vineyards of Pukanec in Slovakia, [11] which contain 470 black mulberry trees.[ citation needed ]

The black mulberry was imported into Britain in the 17th century in the hope that it would be useful in the cultivation of silkworms ( Bombyx mori ). It was unsuccessful in that enterprise because silkworms prefer the white mulberry. However, the plantings have left a legacy of large and old trees in many country house gardens. The cultivars, M. nigra 'Chelsea' [12] (Syn. 'King James'), and M. nigra 'Jerusalem' [13] have been awarded the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. Both cultivars are female (F) and self-fertile. M. nigra was much used in folk medicine, especially in the treatment of ringworm.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Morus</i> (plant) Genus of plants

Morus, a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinate taxa, three of which are well-known and are ostensibly named for the fruit color of the best-known cultivar: white, red, and black mulberry, with numerous cultivars and some taxa currently unchecked and awaiting taxonomic scrutiny. M. alba is native to South Asia, but is widely distributed across Europe, Southern Africa, South America, and North America. M. alba is also the species most preferred by the silkworm, and is regarded as an invasive species in Brazil and the United States.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackfruit</span> Species of plant

The jackfruit is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as 55 kg in weight, 90 cm in length, and 50 cm in diameter. A mature jackfruit tree produces some 200 fruits per year, with older trees bearing up to 500 fruits in a year. The jackfruit is a multiple fruit composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers, and the fleshy petals of the unripe fruit are eaten.

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<i>Syzygium samarangense</i> Species of Asian fruit tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae

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<i>Morus alba</i> Species of plant

Morus alba, known as white mulberry, common mulberry and silkworm mulberry, is a fast-growing, small to medium-sized mulberry tree which grows to 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall. It is generally a short-lived tree with a lifespan comparable to that of humans, although there are some specimens known to be more than 250 years old. The species is native to China and India and is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere.

<i>Ziziphus mauritiana</i> Species of plant

Ziziphus mauritiana, also known as Indian jujube, Indian plum, Chinese date, Chinee apple, ber and dunks is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused with the closely related Chinese jujube, but whereas Z. jujuba prefers temperate climates, Z. mauritiana is tropical to subtropical.

<i>Morus rubra</i> Species of tree

Morus rubra, commonly known as the red mulberry, is a species of mulberry native to eastern and central North America. It is found from Ontario, Minnesota, and Vermont south to southern Florida, and west as far as southeastern South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and central Texas. There have been reports of isolated populations in New Mexico, Idaho, and British Columbia.

<i>Pouteria sapota</i> Species of tree

Pouteria sapota, the mamey sapote, is a species of tree native to Mexico and Central America. The tree is also cultivated in the Caribbean. Its fruit is eaten in many Latin American countries. The fruit is made into foods such as milkshakes and ice cream.

<i>Sambucus nigra</i> Species of flowering plant in the moschatel family Adoxaceae

Sambucus nigra is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry. It grows in a variety of conditions including both wet and dry fertile soils, primarily in sunny locations. The plant is widely grown as an ornamental shrub or small tree. Both the flowers and the berries have a long tradition of culinary use, primarily for cordial and wine.

Morus serrata, known as Himalayan mulberry, is a species of mulberry native to the Himalaya and the mountains of southwestern China, at altitudes of up to 2,300 metres.

<i>Gaultheria mucronata</i> Species of plant

Gaultheria mucronata is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to southern Argentina and Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fig</span> Species of flowering plant known as the common fig

The fig is the edible fruit of Ficus carica, a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world. Ficus carica is the type species of the genus Ficus, containing over 800 tropical and subtropical plant species.

<i>Morus macroura</i> Species of tree

Morus macroura, also known as the king white mulberry, shahtoot mulberry, Tibetan mulberry, or long mulberry is a flowering plant species in the genus Morus found in Tibet, the Himalayas, mountainous area of Indonesia, and rain forests of Indochina. It is a medium-sized tree, with a spreading canopy which grows with a weeping habit. Ripe fruit is white, pink or red, and is described as honey-sweet.

<i>Morus indica</i> Berry and plant

Morus indica is a species of flowering plant in the mulberry family Moraceae. As with other mulberries, it is a deciduous tree. Morus indica is native to the temperate and sub-tropical Himalayan region and is currently cultivated in India, China, Japan, and East Africa.

References

  1. United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN   978-0-309-48834-1. PMID   30844154. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  3. "Morus nigra". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  4. "Definition And Classification Of Commodities (Draft) 8. Fruits And Derived Products". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  5. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  6. Zeng, Q; Chen, H (2015). "Definition of Eight Mulberry Species in the Genus Morus by Internal Transcribed Spacer-Based Phylogeny". PLOS ONE. 10 (8): e0135411. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1035411Z. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135411 . PMC   4534381 . PMID   26266951.
  7. 1 2 "Morus nigra Black Mulberry PFAF Plant Database". Plants for a Future . Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  8. James A. Duke (1983). "Morus alba L., Moraceae: White mulberry, Russian mulberry, Silkworm mulberry, Moral blanco". Handbook of Energy Crops. Archived from the original on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. Nelson, G.; Earle, C.J.; Spellenberg, R.; More, D.; Hughes, A.K. (2014). Trees of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. p. 408. ISBN   9781400852994.
  10. Fuks, Daniel; Amichay, Oriya; Weiss, Ehud (2020). "Innovation or preservation? Abbasid aubergines, archaeobotany, and the Islamic Green Revolution". Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 12 (2): 50. Bibcode:2020ArAnS..12...50F. doi:10.1007/s12520-019-00959-5. ISSN   1866-9557.
  11. Kristbergsson, K.; Ötles, S. (2016). Functional Properties of Traditional Foods. Springer. p. 211. ISBN   9781489976628.
  12. "Morus nigra 'Chelsea'". RHS. London: Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  13. "Morus nigra 'Jerusalem'". RHS. London: Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved 10 August 2024.