Fauna
Plant

Red Mulberry

Morus rubra

Also known as Virginia Mulberry

Red mulberry trees flourish in rich floodplain soils and moist eastern hardwood forests, recognized by their large, dull green leaves with rough, sandpaper-like upper surfaces. Birds and small mammals eagerly consume the dark compound fruits in early summer, dispersing seeds across river valleys and woodland gaps. Extensive hybridization with introduced white mulberry trees now poses a major genetic threat to native stands in northern parts of its range.

DeciduousNative TreeWildlife Food
Red Mulberry reference1 / 7
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preySunlight, Water, Soil Nutrients
Predators
  • Whitetail Deer
  • Eastern Cottontail
  • Beaver
ThreatsHybridization with Morus alba, habitat loss, leaf spot disease
HabitatsMoist hardwood forests, river floodplains, nutrient-rich slopes
Life span75–125 years
Classification
  1. OrderRosales
  2. FamilyMoraceae
  3. GenusMorus
  4. SpeciesMorus rubra
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Wild berries have toxic look-alikes; never eat based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
  • Leaf texture: Feel the top surface of the leaf, which is visibly rough and scabrous compared to smooth non-native look-alikes.
  • Sap check: Look for milky white sap exuded from freshly broken leaf stems or twigs.
  • Habitat context: Search along shaded riverbanks and moist forest understories where tree thrives best.
Related species
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