The Mark of the Many Shaped Mulberry Leaf around the World
The Mulberry leaf is an unusual leaf as far as leaves go. Whereas most leaves settle for having one shape and repeating it over and over again, the mulberry leaf is one of the few trees that has leaves that take on various shapes. This is appropriate for the leaf of a tree that has played so many roles in so many parts of the world.
The genus Morus
The Mulberry is genus with 8 full fledged members and several more East Asian cousins whose familial relationships are a hot topic among green thumbed botanists to whom such taxonomies matter. The Mulberries make their homes in the subtropical regions of the five major continents, shunning only Oceania and Antarctica—although most hail from the depths of East Asia.
Mulberries grow quickly at first, but as they mature, they start taking life more slowly. Some grow to almost 50 feet in height. The Mulberry leaf is one of the things people often notice about the mulberry, because you might hold two of them next to each other and not know they were from the same tree. This is because some leaves from the same tree can have fairly different shapes.
For example, Florida’s Red Mulberry (Morus rubrum) has three different kinds of leaves. One Red Mulberry leaf will have a simple chordate (“heart shaped”) shape with serrated edges while the other will have a hastate shape. Then, strangest of all, a third kind will divide down the middle right at the fold of the center vein—one half of the leaf having a hastate shape while the other takes on a chordate shape. This variation among leaves makes the Mulberry a genuine curiosity for tree lovers.
If this weren’t enough, however, the Mulberry also has worked its way into different cultures throughout the world.
The Chinese Mulberry
The Chinese Mulberry (Morus australis) gives you a good sense of what an amazingly varied history the Chinese mulberry has had. As you may know, the Chinese invented paper. At first, however, this paper was not very good for writing on. It was hard because they made it, you guessed it, from the bark of our Chinese Mulberry tree. In fact, this paper was so hard they used it for the armor of Chinese soldiers.
White Mulberry
The closely related White Mulberry (Morus alba) also has a strong connection to world history. In fact, we might say the Mulberry is largely responsible for connecting East and West because it is involved in that other great product of China, silk. How? Turns out that silk worms love to eat the White Mulberry leaf. In fact, this tree is so involved in Chinese culture that many proverbs center on this magnificent tree. Take this one (perhaps the most famous): “With time and patience the Mulberry tree becomes a silk robe.”
The White Mulberry wasn’t, however, content to find its way into only one ancient culture, it also finds its way into the ancient Babylonian tale that the ancient Greeks and Romans would transfigure into the tragic tale of Pyrimus and Thisbe. In the story, the bark of the White Mulberry takes on its dark purplish hue from the blood stains of the two dead lovers.
Health Benefits of the Mulberry
Throughout the world and throughout history, medical practitioners have praised the Mulberry’s health benefits. Back in China, ancient doctors used Mulberries (the fruit of the tree) to help with intestinal problems like difficulty defecating, while the bark was said to help with breathing problems and problems peeing.
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed in the Mulberry’s salutary effects as well. Here is Horace: “You will have many a healthy summer day, if you will just have these dark mulberries at your midday meal.”
As you can see the unusual Mulberry leaf has really entangled itself in the course of human history.