PlantFiles: Black Mulberry, Toot Tree, Persian Mulberry
Morus nigra

The Persian mulberry is a large 3 inch blackberry-like fruit that is dark purple to black. It is excellent for fresh eating or jam. The Persian Mulberry makes a large 25-30 foot tree with dense heart-shaped leaves.

We had the first large crop from our young tree last season. There was a net placed over the tree to defend it from the birds and fruitbats, which worked to some extent, although the blackbirds and mynahs were willing to risk entering along the ground and being trapped to get at the fruit. It is large and luscious and when fully ripe as sweet as can be. My personal preference is for slightly underripe berries which are less sweet but have more flavour. The berries went into sauces for ice-cream, jams, onto cereals in a morning and every berry recipe I could find. (Muffins were a particularly big hit). But overall the kids' preference was straight from tree to mouth.
It is probably a tree for a large garden as its growth habit is an insane tangle (or you could buy the weeping form) and you don't want it near doors,paving or drying laundry. It is very staining. But the pure luxury of having kilos of berries, at my disposal, for several weeks more than repays any such drawback.

tree grows vigorously and wildly, loses leaves in winter. fruits from about mid may through august, heaviest in late june. fruits make a big mess so plant away from house or you will be tracking black staining juice on your carpet. fruit is sweet but flavor is non descriptive.

silk caterpillars (in India) are reared on an exclusive diet of fresh green Mulberry leaves up until the time they begin spinning their cocoons. Sometime in the '70, I was given a tray full of caterpillars for a biology project in school. These came from a "silk-worm" farmer, and complete with a supply of favourite-diet branches and leaves. I must have stuck one of those branches into the ground in a corner of the garden. Today, we have a LARGE and unruly Mulberry tree. No silk-caterpillars, of course, but the birds - Bulbuls, Crows, Cuckoos - love to squabble over the fruit. We let them have it all since the slightly tart berries are decidedly more suited to harvesting by beak!

My grandpa had a Black Mulberry tree. I spent my vacations in his house, and used to eat the berries a lot, being pure, or as jams, juices, pies... I always knew I would get loads of those delicious berries when I visited him. But then the tree died, and I never ate it again.

12 or 13 years later, during a trip, I found around 10 Black Mullbery Trees growing together, and they were loaded! I got my fingers, my lips and my tongue purple with their juice. It was nice. I wish more people would grow it here in Rio de Janeiro. This is not the kind of fruit that can be transported to supermarkets and all, the only wat to get them is by picking them from the trees.

FAst growing, fruit bearing tree used extensively in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. The trees bear fruit in late spring. In Lebanon, juice and ice-pops are made from this fruit and it is a welcomed treat on a hot summerday!
I find them a bit messy when the fruits begin to drop as they are staining. Birds love to eat the fruits.
The fruits make nice jams and jellies.