Moraceae

Morus L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 986 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Iran to Kuril Islands and W. Malesia, N. & Central America, W. South America.

Descriptions

Moraceae, C.C. Berg (University of Bergen). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Trees, dioecious; shoot-apices shed
Morphology Leaves
Leaves distichous, subtriplinerved; stipules lateral, free
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences bracteate Staminate inflorescences spicate; tepals 4, basally connate; stamens 4, inflexed in bud; pistillode present Pistillate inflorescences capitate; tepals 4, basally connate; ovary free; stigmas 2, filiform, subequal in length
sex Male
Staminate inflorescences spicate; tepals 4, basally connate; stamens 4, inflexed in bud; pistillode present
sex Female
Pistillate inflorescences capitate; tepals 4, basally connate; ovary free; stigmas 2, filiform, subequal in length
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruiting perianth enlarged, fleshy, greenish to yellow; fruit free, somewhat drupaceous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed small, with endosperm; cotyledons flat, equal, plane.
[FTEA]

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution
A genus which is usually considered to have 10–15 species (there are c.150 published names), mostly from the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. One non-native species is cultivated in New Guinea: Morus alba L.
Morphology General Habit
Trees to 10(–15) m tall, apical shoot tip soon abscised
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules free, almost lateral-Leaves alternate, distichous, margin toothed, base rounded to cordate, lamina surface smooth to scabridulous, cystoliths present on upper side, venation pinnate or 3-nerved from the base. Inflorescences axillary, usually solitary, unisexual and plants dioecious, involucral bracts absent; male inflorescences spicate or racemose, perianth 4-merous and imbricate, stamens 4, inflexed in bud, elastically bending outwards at anthesis; female inflorescences spicate or subcapitate, perianth 4-merous, free, ovary free, style more or less apical, stigmatic branches 2, persistent in fruit
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit drupaceous, perianth becoming succulent, endocarp crustaceous.
Ecology
Morus alba is currently cultivated in New Guinea for its edible fruits and for the bark which is used to make cloth, at elevations up to 2000 m.
Recognition
The genus can be recognised by the deciduous tip of the shoots, the lateral pair of veins reaching up to ½ the length of the lamina, the 2 equal stigmas, the imbricate perianth on the male inflorescences, the free perianth lobes on the female flowers and the blackberry-like multiple fruit with persistent styles.
[TONG]

Uses

Use
Morus alba is famously the food plant of silkworm and in the early 1980s a pilot government-funded project to create a local silk industry was set up in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, but collapsed shortly afterwards.
[TONG]

Sources

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Trees of New Guinea

    • Trees of New Guinea
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0