Mulberry: varieties, characteristics and features

Varieties

The classification of mulberry is quite extensive and ambiguous. The Mulberry genus includes about 200 plant species, only 17 of which are considered universally recognized and are cultivated in different parts of the world. The remaining species are represented by fruit, fodder and ornamental hybrids that do not have a clear classification.

From the whole variety of forms and types, three main ones are distinguished, depending on the color of the fruit: black, white and red mulberries, which, in turn, are divided into varieties.

Mulberry black and white are considered the most common. They land everywhere: in India, Afghanistan, Portugal, Spain, including in the south and in the regions of central Our Country. White mulberry came to us from eastern China, where it has been grown for more than 3 thousand years as food for the silkworm. From China, the plant migrated to Central Asia, and then to Transcaucasia. Mulberry came to Europe around the XNUMXth century, and to Our Country in the XNUMXth century, but not in all territories the climate was suitable for its cultivation, so the culture moved to the regions of the Caucasus and the Volga region.

White mulberry, in comparison with other species, is low (13-18 m). Its crown is compact, spherical, but sometimes spreading. The trunk and main branches have a light grayish-brown color, due to which this variety was called “white”, since its fruits are not only light, but also pink, yellow, and even black. White mulberries are considered the sweetest – they contain from 12 to 23% of sugars. These trees have a very decorative appearance – multi-colored seedlings in combination with foliage of various shapes make it possible to use plants in garden and park construction.

The red mulberry comes from eastern America. The trees are low (10-15 m) with large (up to 14 cm) heart-shaped foliage and a dense voluminous crown. The bark of the trunk and large branches is brown, rough. The fruit is a purple drupe 2-3 cm long, resembling a slightly unripe blackberry in appearance. It is quite sweet (up to 11% sugar), and, in comparison with white and black berries, can be stored longer. In terms of frost resistance, red mulberry is superior to white, but it is not so common in gardens.

Black mulberry is native to Central Asia (Iran and Afghanistan). The trees of this species are tall, with a spreading crown and large ovate or heart-shaped dark green leaves. The bark of the trunk is dark, brown in color. The berry is black or dark blue, large size (2-5 cm), very juicy, sweet and sour taste. Trees are undemanding to the soil, they tolerate heat and drought well, but they are thermophilic, so there will be a big return on them in the southern regions.

Almost all types of mulberry are dioecious plants (male and female flowers are located on different trees), so for pollination it is necessary to plant two trees side by side, however, there is also a self-fertile mulberry, the pollination of which occurs mainly with the help of wind. The culture grows very quickly and is easily grafted – several varieties can grow on one tree at the same time, with different colors of seedlings. Mulberry trees are long-lived – their life expectancy can be from 150 to 500 years.

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From the video you will learn how to grow mulberry.

White varieties

As you know, white mulberries can have different colors of fruit, but in order to make it easier for a simple layman to figure out which variety of berries have exactly a light color, a list of the most basic white-fruited varieties is offered:

1. White honey. A very popular hybrid of domestic selection in amateur gardening, obtained by free pollination of the best samples of white mulberry. A medium-sized tree, the crown is dense, pyramidal. Seed fruit – elongated white drupes 3 cm long with a sweet honey taste. Fruiting is regular, the yield is high. The trees are frost-resistant (withstand up to -30 ° C), after frost they quickly recover. The berries are very tender, so they are transported and stored poorly.
2. White tenderness. Frost-resistant variety with high productivity. Fruiting begins in early June and lasts for 2 months. Seedlings of pure white color, long, sweet in taste, but in rainy weather the taste worsens (becomes neutral).
3. Mulberry pink Smolensk. New early (beginning of July) variety for home gardening. The plant is unpretentious, frost-resistant, begins to bear fruit in the first year of planting. Seed fruit – small (2-3 cm), pinkish or red, very sweet. Due to the special shape of the leaves and multi-colored seedlings, the culture is often used as a decorative element of the garden.
4. Fruit-1. An early ripe (June) variety with white seedlings, which tend to turn pink in rainy weather. The berries are large (3 cm), sweet taste with slight sourness. The yield is high, the fruiting period is long. The berries are juicy, but quite dense, can be transported.
5. Ukrainian-107. Mid-season (July) hybrid with light pink, large (2,5-3 cm) seedlings. The taste is dessert, sweet, the fruits are transportable. The resistance of trees to frost and disease is high. Fruiting is plentiful, begins from 3 years. The yield from an adult tree is 15-17 kg.
6. Merezhevo. A hybrid obtained by grafting white mulberry. Mid-season (first decade of July), fruiting lasts 1 month. Infructescences are pinkish-creamy, large in size, cloyingly sweet in taste, easily fall off the tree, and are not stored for a long time.

Black varieties

And here everything is ambiguous – many varieties with dark (black berries) belong to white mulberry, but in order to avoid confusion, this section will present varieties whose seedlings have a characteristic black color description:

1. Fruit-4. Black-fruited productive variety with rather large (up to 4 cm) berries. The plant is compact, low (up to 5 m). Fruiting is regular, plentiful, stretched, the total yield is very high. The variety is frost-resistant, suitable for commercial cultivation. Fruits of sweet refreshing taste, dense, well transported.
2. Black baroness (white mulberry). Domestic variety obtained from free pollination. The fruits are large (3,5-4 cm), rich black color, dessert taste, with a slight sweetish aroma. The variety is frost-resistant (does not freeze at -30 ° C), mid-season (ripens in early July), unpretentious to conditions. The yield is high – an adult, large plant is capable of producing up to 100 kg of berries per season. Transportability is average, the shelf life of berries is up to 12 hours.
3. Smuglyanka (refers to white mulberry). A self-fertile hybrid obtained from the pollination of a white variety. The trees are large, with a dense spreading crown. Seed fruit – one-dimensional, cylindrical, large (3,5-4 cm), black in color, sour-sweet in taste. Fruiting is regular, the yield is high. The variety is frost-resistant, quickly restored. Berries are transportable, stored for 12-18 hours.
4. Ukrainian-6. The universal variety, created in the Ukrainian research institute, produces tasty berries, can be used to feed the silkworm, as well as for decorative purposes. The fruits are long, large (up to 4 cm), black, matte in color and have a sweet dessert taste. Fruiting is plentiful, earlier (beginning of June). Frost resistance is high (can withstand up to -30 ° C). The transportability of berries is good, storage – more than 12 hours.

Large varieties

Varieties are considered large-fruited, giving seedlings of at least 4-5 cm. These include:

1. Mulberry Istanbul. A highly productive frost-resistant variety with large (up to 5 cm) dark purple seedlings. The ripening period is late (end of July – beginning of August), fruiting is plentiful, starting from the age of 4.
2. Mulberry Shelley. Early (end of June) large-fruited variety with decorative large leaves and no less attractive fruits. The mulberry of this variety is considered one of the largest – the size of its seedlings reaches 5-5,5 cm. The berries are elongated, black, glossy, sweet dessert taste, dense, can be transported.
3. Mulberry Galicia 1. Universal hybrid of Ukrainian selection. Seed fruit is very large (6-8 cm), oblong, black or dark purple in color (looks like a blackberry), sweet, refreshing taste, with a slight berry aroma. Productivity is high – up to 40 kg from a 5-7 year old tree.
4. Mulberry Black Prince. Unpretentious, resistant to disease, drought and frost variety. The fruits are large (4-5 cm), glossy, intense black color, sweet honey taste. Despite their juiciness, the berries are well transported and stored.
5. Mulberry Hartut. An ideal variety for making wine – the juice of the berries of this mulberry is sweet and thick, like high-quality Cahors. The fruits are quite large (4-5,5 cm), black, contain 18-20% sugars, are recommended for winemaking, jam, as a dessert. The variety is self-fertile, fruiting starts from the age of 3, the yield is stable and high.

Decorative varieties

Of all the many varieties and varieties of mulberries, most of them are decorative species that have long been successfully grown by gardeners for use in landscape design. White mulberry served as the basis for breeding most ornamental varieties – it is its varieties that are distinguished by a variety of leaf shapes and colors, and an original crown.

Ornamental mulberry can be used in a single planting, or to create hedges. It tolerates pruning, haircuts, and is resistant to weather conditions.

These trees have many unusual and spectacular forms that are widely used to decorate landscape space:

For decorating rooms, a remontant variety is used – it is a dwarf, very compact mulberry that can be grown in a pot or container. You can also decorate the garden with universal varieties that are highly decorative, and at the same time give very tasty berries. These include: Smolensk pink, which has already been mentioned, or Red felt – a beautiful tree with reddish top and bottom white leaves and delicious purple seedlings. This solution is most suitable for a small private garden, as it allows not only to enjoy the amazing taste of berries, but also to divide or decorate the landscape space.  

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