t e l ? f r i
iüf: 'iîi
mmovs, d a rk ; and Sir J. E. Smith suggests that it may have been taken by antiphrasis from
mûros, foolish, the mulberry tree, from its slowness in putting out its leaves, being anciently considered
the emblem of wisdom. The Morea, in the Levant, is said to be so called from the
resemblance of the shape of that peninsula to the leaf of a mulberry
Gen, Char., 4c. Flowers unisexual, mostly monoecious, in some dioecious or
polygamous. — Male flowers in axillary spikes. Calyx oi 4 equal sepals,
imbricate in æstivation, expanded in flowering. Stamens 4 Female
flowers. Calyx of 4 leaves, in opposite pairs, the outer pair the larger, all
upriglit and persistent, becoming pulpy and juicy. Stamens 2, long. (G.
Don.)
Leaves simple, alternate, exstipulate, deciduous ; large, mostly lobed and
rough. Flowers greenish white. Fruit the aggregate of the ovary and the
calyxes, constituting what is termed a mulberry. — Trees, deciduous;
natives of Europe, Asia, and North America. Propagated by cuttings or
layers, or by large truncheons, in good soil.
The leaves of all tbe species will serve to nourish the silkworm ; but M.
álba, and its varieties, are considered much the best for this purpose.
¥ I. Af. Ni'GRA Poir. Y\\eh\ac\i-fruited, or common. Mulberry.
Identification. Poir. Ency. Méth., 4. p. 377. ; Lin. Sp. Pl,, 1398 ; Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 369.
.Sunont/T/ies. Mhrus Dod. Pempt. 810. ; M. frúctu iiigro Bauh. Pin. 459.
Engravings. Dend. Brit., t. 159. ; N. Du Ham., 4. t. 22. ; the plate in Arb. B r i t , 1st edit., vol. vii. ;
and our fig. 1380.
Spec. Char., 4c. Sexes monoecious, sometimes dioecious. Leaves heart-
shaped, bluntish, or slightly lobed with about 5 lobes ; toothed witli unequal
teeth, rough. (fEiZ/d.) A deciduous tree. Persia. Height 20 ft. to 30 ft.
Introduced in 1548. Flowers greenish white ; June. Fruit oblong, red
or black ; ripe in August.
Vai'iety.
¥ M. K. 2 laciniàta Mill. Dict. No. 2. has the leaves jagged rather than cut.
In Britain, the common mulberry always assumes something of a dwarf or
stunted character, spreading into very thick arms, or branches, near the
ound, and forming an extremely large head. It is a tree of very great
urability ; the trees at Syon being said to be 300 years old, and some at
fu
Oxford and other places being suppo.sed to be of nearly equal antiquity It
is also wonderfully tenacious of life ; the roots of a black mulberry which
had Iain dormant in the ground for twenty-four years, being said after the expiration
of that time, to have sent up shoots. The wood is considered of but
little value m France, except for firewood : it is less compact than even that
of the white mulberry ; and weighs only 40 Ib. 7oz. the cubic foot. Cattle
eat the leaves, and all kinds of poultry are very fond of the fruit. Silkworms
feed on the leaves in Persia, but in cold climates they are considered unsuitable
for them. In England, the fruit is generally eaten at the dessert; and
It is considered of a cooling aperient nature when ripe. The tree will grow in
almost any soil or situation that is tolerably dry, and in any climate not much
colder than that of London. North of York, it generally requires a wall. It
is very easily propagated by truncheons or pieces of branches, 8 or 9 feet in
length, and of any thickness, being planted half their depth in tolerably good
soil; when they will bear fruit the following year. Every part of the root
trunk, boughs, and branches may be turned into plants by separation: thé
small shoots, or siiray, and the small roots, being made into cuttings ; the large
shoots into stake.s ; the arms into truncheons; and the trunk, stool, and roots
being cut into fragments, leaving a portion of the bark on each.
¥ 2. -Ilf. a ' l b a L . The white-fndted Mulberry Tree.
Identification. Lin. Ilort. Cliff, 441. ; Willd. Sp. Pl., 4. p. 3C8. ; N Du Ham 4 n 87
'"‘' Ï Z r r i û i jD f S f l . t î . t f f r S - *'“• ' fr“ "' fr“ ' I »■ «to
Spec Char., 4c. Leaves with a deep scallop at the base, and either heart-
shaped or ovate, undivided or lobed, serrated with unequal teeth, glossy,
or at least .smoothish; the projecting portions on the two sides of the
basal sinus imeqiial. (Willd.) A deciduou.s tree. China. Height 20ft.
to 30 ft. Introduced in 1596. Flowers greenish white ; May. Fruit white or
pale red ; ripe in September.
Varieties.
¥ áfe M. a. 2 multicaúlis Perrottet in
Ann. de la Soc. Lin. de Paris Mai
1824 p. 129., Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836 ;
M . tatárica Desf, but not of Lin. r
or Pal].; M . bullàta Balbis; M.
cucullata Hort.; Chinese black
Mulberry, Amer ; Perrottet Mulberry
; many-stalked Mulberry; Mûrier
Perrottet, Fr. ; Mûrier à Tiges
nombreuses, Mûrier des Philippines,
Ann. des Sci. i. p. 336. pl. 3. ; and
our Jig. 1.381, ; Moro delle Filippine,
l in i .— Considered, both in
Italy and France, as by far the best
variety for cultivation as food for the silkworm.
¥ M. a. 3 Morettiaria Hort., Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836. Dandolo’s Mulberry.
—Fruit black and very large. Leaves perfectly flat, deep green,
shining, thin, and perfectly smooth on both surfaces. Its leaves
rank next to those of M. a. multicaúlis as food for silkworms.
¥ M. a. 4 macrophylla Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836. M a. latifòlia Hort.; M.
hispánica Hort.; Mûrier d’Espagne, Feuille d’Espagne, F’?', — This
variety produces strong and vigorous shoots, and large leaves, sometimes
measuring 8 in. long, and 6 in. broad, resembling in form those
of M. nigra, but smooth, glossy, and succulent.
¥ M. a. 5 romàna Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836. M. a. ovalifòlia; Mûrier romain,
Fr. —Bears a close resemblance to the above sort.
¥ M. a. 6 nervò.ia Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836, M . nervósa Bon Jard. 1836,
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