Morus rubra 'Silk Hope'
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- MOR-russ ROO-bruh
- Description
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'Silk Hope' red mulberry is a cultivar of a North Carolina native tree species and has both edible and ornamental features. It is a hybrid between red mulberry and white mulberry. It bears 1½ inch long, sweet, black fruit that ripens for two months in early summer. Fruits are quite large and similar in flavor to 'Illinois Everbearing' mulberry.
It is more cold hardy than black mulberry and, because it is a native cultivar, it does better than most mulberry trees in the heat and humidity of the South.
It can live up to 125 years but the weedy invasive character is not appealing.
These trees are more resilient to fungal diseases in the Southeast than Illinois Everbearing.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Morus
- Species:
- rubra
- Family:
- Moraceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer. It is a possible host plant for the Red Admiral butterfly. Its fruits are eaten by many birds, especially gray catbirds and northern mockingbirds, foxes, opossums, raccoons, and squirrels.
- Edibility:
- Berries for making jelly, wine, and dessert.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Oval
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Purple/Lavender
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- produces numerous black fruit that looks like blackberry but slender with a size of 1 1/4''. It is sweet in flavor, similar to Illinois Everbearing but larger.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- The small yellowish-green flower of the Silk Hope red mulberry is not showy. Male flower and female flower can bloom on the same tree or different trees.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Velvety
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Description:
- Alternate broad simple green leaves with a notch at the base and a fine serrated margin. The upper surface is rough and under surface is full of soft hair.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Shade Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
