Texas mulberry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Texas mulberry
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Moraceae
Genus:	Morus
Species:	M. celtidifolia
Binomial name
Morus celtidifolia Kunth 1817
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Synonyms
Morus albida Greene Morus arbuscula Greene Morus betulifolia Greene Morus canina Greene Morus confinis Greene Morus corylifolia Kunth Morus crataegifolia Greene Morus goldmanii Greene Morus grisea Greene Morus mexicana Benth. Morus microphilyra Greene Morus microphylla Buckley Morus mollis Rusby Morus pandurata Greene Morus radulina Greene Morus vernonii Greene Morus vitifolia Greene

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The Texas mulberry (Morus celtidifolia) is a plant that grows naturally in many parts of the Americas. You can find it from South America, through Central America and Mexico, all the way up to the southwestern United States. This includes states like Arizona and Oklahoma.

This plant often grows in canyons and on hillsides. It likes to be near streams, usually at high elevations, from about 650 to 7,200 feet (200 to 2,200 meters) above sea level. Sometimes, people used to call it "Morus microphylla". However, scientists have now found that Morus celtidifolia is the correct and older name for this species.

What the Texas Mulberry Looks Like

The Texas mulberry can be a shrub or a small tree. It can grow up to about 25 feet (7.5 meters) tall.

Leaves and Size

Its leaves are much smaller than those of other mulberry trees found in the United States. For example, the leaves are smaller than those on the white mulberry (M. alba) or the red mulberry (Morus rubra). A Texas mulberry leaf is usually less than 3 inches (7 centimeters) long.

Edible Fruits and Their Uses

The Texas mulberry produces fruits that you can eat. These fruits can be red, purple, or almost black when they are ripe.

Who Eats the Fruit?

Many wild animals enjoy eating these berries. In the past, Native American people also ate them. The fruits were an important food source for them.

A Historical Journey

Long ago, probably even before recorded history, the Havasupai people helped spread this plant. They brought the Texas mulberry to the Grand Canyon, where it still grows today.