Plant Details

Morus nigra

Black Mulberry

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Common names

35 names · 28 languages
EnglishYour language
Other languages (27)
Dutch
  • Zwarte moerbei[2]
French
  • Mûrier noir[2]
Afrikaans
  • swart moerbei[2]
  • swartmoerbei[2]
Arabic
  • توت أسود[2]
  • توت شامي[2]
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
  • morušovník černý[2]
Danish
  • sort morbær[2]
Estonian
  • must mooruspuu[2]
Finnish
  • mustamulperi[2]
German
  • Schwarze Maulbeere[2]
  • Schwarzer Maulbeerbaum[1]
Greek
  • Μαύρη μουριά[2]
Hebrew
  • תות שחור[2]
Hungarian
  • Fekete eperfa[2]
Italian
Japanese
  • クロミグワ[2]
Kurdish
  • شاتوو[2]
Polish
  • Morwa czarna[2]
Portuguese
  • amoreira-preta[2]
Romanian
Russian
  • Шелковица черная[2]
  • Шелковица чёрная[2]
Slovak
  • moruša čierna[2]
Spanish
  • Mora negra[1]
  • morera negra asiática[2]
Swedish
  • svart mullbär[2]
Thai
  • หม่อนดำ[2]
Turkish
Ukrainian
  • Шовковиця чорна[2]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Morus nigra L. ↗

Common names from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. License: CC BY.

Source records
  • Schwarzer Maulbeerbaum (DE); Mora negra (ES); Black Mulberry (EN) — VernacularName.tsv, line 167893; taxon 44FTD.
[2] Morus nigra — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • morera negra asiática — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • black mulberry — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • amoreira-preta — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Schwarze Maulbeere — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • morušovník černý — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • gelso — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • クロミグワ — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • mûrier noir — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • zwarte moerbei — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Шелковица чёрная — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • mustamulperi — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • توت أسود — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • توت شامي — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • moruša čierna — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • must mooruspuu — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Μαύρη μουριά — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • svart mullbär — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • 黑桑 — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • karadut — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • swartmoerbei — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • תות שחור — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • swart moerbei — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Persian mulberry — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • 黑桑 — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • 蒙桑 — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • sort morbær — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Шовковиця чорна — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Dud negru — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • หม่อนดำ — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Morwa czarna — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Fekete eperfa — results[0].names[31]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • Шелковица черная — results[0].names[32]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.
  • شاتوو — results[0].names[33]; taxon id 126741; Morus nigra.

General information

Scientific name: Morus nigra
Accepted name (Kew): Morus nigra L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [5] [6]
Botanical family: Moraceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Morus (WCVP v16).

Sources [5]
Also known as: Black Mulberry
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Fruit tree
Catalogue size class: Large
Height: 10.00 m
Spread: 15.00 m
Growth rate: Slow
Foliage: Deciduous

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 5-9
Soil moisture:
Moist, Well-drained

Preferred growing conditions. Moisture and drainage are different properties; well-drained soil is not necessarily dry.

Sources [4]
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Partial shade, Full sun

Uses

Edible parts:
Fruit
Edibility rating:
(5)
Medicinal rating:
(3)
Functions:
Dye, Fibre, Wood

Description

Morus nigra is a deciduous fruit tree. Its ripe fruit is juicy, with a sweet-tart flavour, and can be eaten fresh or made into jam. The fruit is fragile and should be handled promptly. In the United Kingdom, the main harvest is in August and September.

Sources [1] [2] [3]

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/07
Harvest ends: 31/08

Crown

Crown shape: spreading
Crown density: dense crown

Typical crown form. Age, pruning and growing conditions can change its shape and density.

Sources [3]

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Horticultural Society How to grow mulberries
    Supports: Description
    Relevant sections
    • Description: Growing guide; choosing varieties, planting, harvesting and storing sections as applicable

    Source checked on .

  2. World Agroforestry Centre Morus nigra — Agroforestree Database 4.0
    Supports: Description
    Relevant sections
    • Description: Botanical description; Products: Food

    Source checked on .

  3. International Dendrology Society, Trees and Shrubs Online Morus nigra
    Supports: DescriptionCrown
    Relevant sections
    • Description: Species account; botanical description and cited horticultural observations
    • Crown: Species account; botanical description and cited horticultural observations

    Source checked on .

  4. Royal Horticultural Society Morus nigra (F) | black mulberry
    Supports: Soil moisture
    Relevant sections
    • Soil moisture: Growing conditions: Moisture; Cultivation

    Source checked on .

  5. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 610523; name ID 2501384; Morus L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 240307; name ID 2501426; Morus nigra L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  6. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Morus nigra

    Taxonomic data from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 695369, ID 44FTD: Morus nigra L. (accepted).

    Source checked on .