Herb: Texas Mulberry


Latin name: Morus microphylla


Family: Moraceae (Mulberry Family)



Edible parts of Texas Mulberry:

Fruit - raw. Small and dry. Sweet and palatable. The fruits can be sweet or sour. The fruit can be dried for later use. It is up to 15mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
6 m
(20 feet)

Flowering:
May

Habitat of the herb:

Streamsides, mountain canyons and on dry limestone hills.

Other uses of Texas Mulberry:

The twigs have been split in half lengthways and used to make serviceable baskets. Wood - heavy, hard, elastic, close grained. Used for carpentry, but it is too small to be commercially important.

Propagation of the herb:

The seed germinates best if given 2 - 3 months cold stratification. Sow the seed as soon as it is ripe if possible, otherwise in February in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in the first spring, though it sometimes takes another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Plant out in spring. A good percentage take, though they sometimes fail to thrive. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 25 - 30cm with a heel of 2 year old wood, autumn or early spring in a cold frame or a shady bed outside. Bury the cuttings to threequarters of their depth. Layering in autumn.

Cultivation of Texas Mulberry:

Streamsides, mountain canyons and on dry limestone hills.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Morus microphylla:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.