Project Overview
RED MULBERRY
The introduction of the foreign White Mulberry to North America was disastrous for our native Red Mulberry. It hybridizes readily with Red Mulberry, polluting the native population in time.
White Mulberry (Morus alba) was introduced in the 1600s by colonists in a effort to start a Silk industry in North America. So the White Mulberry has had 4 centuries to establish, proliferate, outcompete, and hybridize with our native Red Mulberry (Morus rubra).
Worse still, during that time, it was actually LAW that citizens had to plant White Mulberries. For example, in 1624, the legislature of Virginia required that every male resident had to plant at least 4 white mulberry trees to promote the budding silk industry.
For this reason, pure Red Mulberry is now extremely rare in our area.