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12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1

Morus nigra L.

This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Morus in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.

Sp. pl. 2: 986 (1753).

Morus laciniata Miller (1768), Morus scabra Moretti (1841).

Black mulberry, common mulberry, sycamine (En). Mûrier noire (Fr). Moral negro, morera negra (Sp). Vietnam: d[aa]u g[ur]a den.

Originating from western Asia, but much cultivated in that region and the Mediterranean since ancient times. Nowadays cultivated and occasionally naturalized in most tropical and temperate regions, though in the tropics only at higher elevations. Only occasionally planted in Malesia.

Morus nigra is most commonly cultivated for its tasty fruits, which are also applied medicinally. The leaves are fed to silkworms, but generally considered inferior to those of the white mulberry.

A small to fairly large tree up to 35 m tall; leaves broadly ovate, 5-16 cm x 5-16 cm, deeply cordate at base, shortly and bluntly acuminate at apex, rough above, pubescent below, with a striate, 2-3.5 cm long petiole; male spikes 1.5-2.5 cm long, female spikes ovoid, 1-2 cm long; syncarp ovoid, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Morus nigra is cultivated in humid regions, up to 2000 m altitude.

[131] Bart, C., 1932. Action hypoglycémiante des feuilles de mûrier [Hypoglycaemic action of mulberry leaves]. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances et Mémoires de la Société de Biologie et de ses Filiales 109: 897-899.
[478] Ghafoor, A., 1985. Moraceae. In: Nasir, E. & Ali, S.I. (Editors): Flora of Pakistan No 171. National Herbarium (Stewart Collection), Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan. 54 pp.
[580] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
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[1178] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
[1252] Rohwer, J.G., 1993. Moraceae. In: Kubitzki, K., Rohwer, J.G. & Bittrich, V. (Editors): The families and genera of vascular plants. Volume 2. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. p. 438-453.
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[1276] Samsijah, 1986. Jenis daun murbei dan ras ulat yang cocok untuk pengembangan persutraan alam di Payakumbuh, Sumatra Barat [Leaves of mulberry species and silkworm races suitable for the development of the silk industry in the Payakumbuh a
[1470] Townsend, C.C., 1980. Amaranthaceae. In: Dassanayake, M.D. & Fosberg, F.R. (Editors): A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Vol. 1. Amerind Publishing Co., New Delhi, India. pp. 1-57.
[1521] Verheij, E.W.M. & Coronel, R.E. (Editors), 1991. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 2. Edible fruits and nuts. Pudoc, Wageningen, the Netherlands. 446 pp.

D.S. Alonzo

Alonzo, D.S., 1999. Morus nigra L.. In: de Padua, L.S., Bunyapraphatsara, N. and Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea