MELBOURNE STREET TREES 133 - MULBERRY

Morus, a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, comprises 10–16 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. The closely related genus Broussonetia is also commonly known as mulberry, notably the paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera.

Mulberries are swift-growing when young, but soon become slow-growing and rarely exceed 10–15 m tall. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, often lobed, more often lobed on juvenile shoots than on mature trees, and serrated on the margin. The trees can be monoecious or dioecious.

The mulberry fruit is a multiple fruit, 2–3 cm long. Immature fruits are white, green, or pale yellow. In most species, the fruits turn pink and then red while ripening, then dark purple or black, and have a sweet flavour when fully ripe. The fruits of the white-fruited cultivar are white when ripe; the fruit in this cultivar is also sweet, but has a very mild flavour compared with the darker variety.

This is a female tree of a dioecious Morus growing in the Darebin Parklands. It is a remnant from an old orchard that was present at this site. In a few weeks, the fruit will ripen and can be eaten (see last photo).

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.