Stats

Lifespan: Up to 250 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: East Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

The white mulberry is a fast-growing deciduous tree native to China, historically cultivated for thousands of years as the sole food plant of silkworms. Its small sweet fruits ripen from white through pink to dark purple, and trees can put on nearly 10 feet of growth in a single season.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Morus
Species: Morus alba