''Morus mongolica'', also described as ''Morus alba'' var. ''mongolica'', is a woody plant native to

mountain forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, China,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and Japan. Common names include Mongolian mulberry, ''meng sang'' ( China), and ''ilama'' by

native people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

in the namesake region of

. Similar to '' M. notabilis'', ''M. mongolica'' is an uncultivated (

wild Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

, undomesticated) mulberry.

Description

''Morus mongolica'' is a perennial woody

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

. The mature plant grows to about in height. The leaves of the tree are palmate, with mature dimensions ranging from in length and in width. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s occur in

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s, both

male and female ''Male and Female'' is a 1919 American silent adventure/drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson and Thomas Meighan. Its main themes are gender relations and social class. The film is based on the 1902 J. M. Barrie ...

. The male inflorescences are about long and wide, whereas the female inflorescences are about 2 cm long and 7 mm wide; both have peduncles of about 1–1.5 cm. Both the male and the female flowers are in groups of fours: four

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s, four petals, four stamen (for male flowers) and four carpels (for female flowers). The tree blooms from March to April and fruits in April to May. The fruits are aggregate, and are dull red to black in color. Each cluster is about 1–3 cm long with a 1 cm diameter, while the individual drupelets are about 3 mm in diameter.

Chemistry

''Morus mongolica'' is known to have multiple flavonoid and phenolic compounds. These compounds can be found in the fruits, leaves, and bark.

Distribution

Its native range is the mountains of

, China,

, and Japan.

Ecology

The leaves are eaten and digested by

silkworms The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically im ...

and the proteins are used by the silkworms for the production of cocoon

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

Uses

The fruits have been recorded as being consumed by Mongol herdsmen. The wood of the has been suggested to be of possible use for biofuel, among other soft wood trees.

Description

Chemistry

Distribution

Ecology

Uses

See also

References

Further reading