What Is a Mulberry Bush?

Tree Types

• The red mulberry, Morus rubra, is a native mulberry, growing up to 50 feet in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. White mulberry, Morus alba, introduced from China, grows as a naturalized tree or bush to a similar size in the same regions. Texas mulberry, Morus microphylla, is a much smaller species, often no taller than a large shrub.

Mulberry Bushes

• Chaparal is a dwarf form of the white mulberry, attaining just 8 feet in height and featuring a weeping form. This is a male tree, so it generates no fruit. Pendula on the other hand, a female dwarf type of white mulberry, does produce edible berries. It grows to 10 feet high with weeping branches.

Mulberry Leaves

• Study the leaves of the mulberries and you will quickly see that they come in an array of shapes, even on the same branch. This quality, known as polymorphism, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is also a characteristic of another native tree -- the sassafras. The leaves of the mulberry may be simple, while some have multiple lobes. Leaves with silhouettes similar to that of a child's winter mitten are common, as are leaves with three lobes.

Mulberry Fruits

• The fruits the mulberry tree and bushes yield are edible, but they can become more of a nuisance than their ornamental and nutritional value is worth. The fruits -- in different colors such as black, purple and pink -- drop to the ground where they can stain sidewalks, driveways and cars. Birds eat the fruits, turning their excrement the same color; the droppings wind up on vehicles and homes. Landscapers sometimes eschew the fruits by selecting male cultivars of the mulberry.