Black Beauty Fruiting Mulberry

Morus nigra 'Black Beauty'

The pinnacle of mulberry flavor! Large, juicy, exceptionally flavorful black berries load this tree each year, if you are lucky enough to live in the right climate! Eat the fruit fresh, or dry it for snacking later. The tree grows quickly to about 15', shorter than average for a mulberry, but can be pruned hard each year and kept much smaller. Leaves of M. nigra can be dried for a good black tea substitute, or fed to any homestead critters you may be raising - they are very high in protein and great fresh or dried for rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep - and, of course, silkworms.

This species is quite tender, but the exceptional fruit quality makes it worth planting if you live in dry summer areas - it will be susceptible to fungal infections in humid summer climates, but appears to grow out of this weakness after several years in the ground. Great as an ornamental or luxurious shade tree, it's self-fertile, grows quickly and bears fruit while still small and young, even if pruned hard each year.