Red Mulberry is a medium sized tree reaching 30 to 60 feet. It grows fairly quickly and can potentially bear fruit in 4 to 10 years. The fruits resemble slender blackberries and are sweet. They can be eaten raw or used in cooking, though consuming too many raw fruits can cause stomach upset. Red mulberry is typically dioecious (the tree either has male flowers or female flowers); the fruits are borne on trees with female flowers.

This is a good tree for birds and other wildlife. Bluebirds, northern mockingbirds, towhees, summer tanagers, woodpeckers, Baltimore orioles, robins, wood ducks, catbirds and other birds find the fruits to be an important food source. Turtles, squirrels, foxes, opossums, and raccoons also consume the fruits. Beavers consume the bark, and deer will browse the twigs and foliage.

Native Americans used red mulberry as an edible, medicinally, and made cloth from the fibrous bark.

Pruning, if necessary, should be done in winter months.

Uses: Edible fruit, medicinal, drought tolerant, birds, wildlife, windbreak, shade tree

Bloom time: March - April

Height: 30 to 60 feet

Space: 15 to 30 feet

Sun: Full sun to medium shade

Moisture: Average