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 Quantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
0%
1 μg
Vitamin A 25 IU
Thiamine (B1)
3%
0.029 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
8%
0.101 mg
Niacin (B3)
4%
0.62 mg
Vitamin B6
4%
0.05 mg
Folate (B9)
2%
6 μg
Choline
3%
12.3 mg
Vitamin C
44%
36.4 mg
Vitamin E
6%
0.87 mg
Vitamin K
7%
7.8 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
4%
39 mg
Iron
14%
1.85 mg
Magnesium
5%
18 mg
Phosphorus
5%
38 mg
Potassium
4%
194 mg
Sodium
1%
10 mg
Zinc
1%
0.12 mg

Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA FoodData Central

Morus nigra, called black mulberry [1] (not to be confused with the blackberries that are various species of Rubus ), [2] 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. [3] 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 cell has 308 chromosomes in total, and exhibits tetratetracontaploidy (44x), meaning that its genome contains seven chromosomes, and each cell has 44 copies of each. [4]

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. [5] 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. [6]

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. [7]

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.

The fruit is edible [5] 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.

In Europe, the largest-documented local concentration of black mulberries may be found in the vineyards of Pukanec in Slovakia, [8] which contain 470 black mulberry trees.

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 and it was listed in the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society until 2013.[ citation needed ] It was much used in folk medicine, especially in the treatment of ringworm.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sycamine</span> Tree mentioned in ancient literature

The sycamine tree is a tree mentioned in both classical Hebrew literature and in Greek literature. The tree is also known by the names sycamore fig tree, and fig-mulberry. It appears also in Luke 17:6 and 19:4 of the Bible. The Hebrew word for the tree is shiḳmah (sing.), shiḳmīn (pl.), having nearly the same phonemes in Greek Others, however, identify the tree as mulberry tree, found in two species, the black mulberry and the white mulberry, which are common in Palestine. It is in the same family as the fig-tree.

The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but cedars will we put in their place.

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

Morus, a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackfruit</span> Tree in the fig, mulberry and breadfruit family

The jackfruit is the fruit of jack treeArtocarpus heterophyllus, 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.

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

Syzygium samarangense is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to an area that includes the Greater Sunda Islands, Malay Peninsula, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but introduced in prehistoric times to a wider area and now widely cultivated in the tropics. Common names in English include wax apple, Java apple, Semarang rose-apple, and wax jambu.

<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>Maclura tricuspidata</i> Species of tree

Maclura tricuspidata is a tree native to East Asia, occasionally grown for its fruit, somewhat similar to that of the related mulberry. It is also known by common names including cudrang, kujibbong, storehousebush, mandarin melon berry, silkworm thorn, zhe or che, and Chinese mulberry. It grows up to 6 m high.

Chinese mulberry is a common name for several trees and may refer to:

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

The paper mulberry is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia, where its range includes Taiwan, mainland China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Myanmar, and India. It is widely cultivated elsewhere and it grows as an introduced species in parts of Europe, the United States, and Africa. Other common names include tapa cloth tree.

<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.

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>Prunus nigra</i> Species of tree

Prunus nigra, the Canada plum, Canadian plum, or black plum, is a species of Prunus native to eastern North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dihydromorin</span> Chemical compound

Dihydromorin is a flavanonol, a type of flavonoid. It can be found in plants of the family Moraceae including Morus nigra, in Morus alba, Maclura pomifera, in the jackfruit and in Artocarpus dadah.

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

Morus australis, also called Korean mulberry and Chinese mulberry, is a flowering plant species in the genus Morus found in East and Southeast Asia.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulberry Garden (Režný Újezd)</span>

The Mulberry garden, originally Morušová zahrada in Czech, is a cottage garden in the Czech Republic, situated in the Czech Central Uplands in the village Režný Újezd, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northwest of the town Lovosice. The garden was established in 2014 by local gardeners admiring the English cottage garden style. Apart from different kinds of plants such as perennial plants, English historical roses, Czech roses, annual plants, and bulbs, several uncommon fruit trees are grown, especially various mulberry varieties. Mulberry garden is located along the green tourist track to Boreč hill in the grounds of former Gentlemen's farm, house no. 2.

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

Morus indica is a member of the genus Morus, of the family of flowering plants Moraceae, commonly known as the mulberry family. As with other mulberries, Morus indica is a deciduous tree. Morus indica is native to the temperate and sub-tropical Himalayan region. It is currently cultivated in India, China, Japan, and East Africa.

<i>Morus mongolica</i> Species of fruit and plant

Morus mongolica, also described as Morus alba var. mongolica, is a woody plant native to mountain forests in Mongolia, China, Korea, and Japan. Common names include Mongolian mulberry, meng sang (China), and ilama by native people in the namesake region of Mongolia. Similar to M. notabilis, M. mongolica is an uncultivated mulberry.

References

  1. "Morus nigra". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  2. "Definition And Classification Of Commodities (Draft) 8. Fruits And Derived Products". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  3. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  4. 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.
  5. 1 2 "Morus nigra Black Mulberry PFAF Plant Database". Plants for a Future . Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Kristbergsson, K.; Ötles, S. (2016). Functional Properties of Traditional Foods. Springer. p. 211. ISBN   9781489976628.