Belfast Botanic Gardens Tree Archive

This is one of a series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens compiled by the Friends group. The tree tag number relates to the small aluminium discs, usually fixed on the tree trunk, 2 to 3m above ground level.

Family: Moraceae

Morus alba L. 'Platanifolia'
White mulberry (large-leaved form)

54^o 34.927N
5^o 55.942W

This young mulberry is a large-leaved variety of white mulberry. The shiny leaves distinguish it from both the common or black mulberry (Morus nigra) and the red mulberry (Morus rubra). The white mulberry is the traditional food plant of the silkworm caterpillar and was brought to Britain from China about 400 years ago. It is a fast growing small tree. The fruit is edible but rather bland. There is a detailed description with some medical information in the Wikipedia article.

2023 - this tree has been lost. A replacement is being sought.


Young white mulberry in Belfast Botanic Gardens	White mulberry leaf

Fruit of white mulberry	Fruit and leaf stalk of white mulberry

Photos taken in Belfast Botanic Gardens in 2011. Copyright: Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens.

Click here to view the rest of the tree archive