Bill Johnson

Paper Mulberry

Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Her. ex Vent.
Mulberry family (Moraceae)

Origin: Japan and Taiwan

Background
Paper mulberry was introduced for use as a fast-growing shade tree. Native Pacific cultures use it to make bark cloth.

Distribution and Habitat
Found from Illinois to Massachusetts, south to Florida and west to Texas, paper mulberry invades open habitats such as forest and field edges. Internationally, it is identified as an invasive weed in over a dozen countries.

Ecological Threat
Once established it grows vigorously, displacing native plants through competition and shading. If left unmanaged, paper mulberry can dominate a site. Its shallow root system makes it susceptible to blowing over during high winds, posing a hazard to people and causing slope erosion and further degradation of an area.

Amy Richard, UFL

Description and Biology

• Plant: deciduous tree with milky sap that grows to a maximum height of about 45 ft. (15 m.); twigs of paper mulberry are hairy reddish brown, the bark is tan and smooth to moderately furrowed, the wood is soft and brittle, and it has conical buds; stems and leaves hirsute.
• Leaves: alternate, opposite, and whorled, densely gray-pubescent, often 3-15-lobed (the lobes sometimes deep), with leaf margins sharply toothed, and leaf base heart-shaped to rounded; upper leaf surface is somewhat rough feeling.
• Flowers, fruits and seeds: separate male and female flowers appear in the spring; male flower clusters are elongate, pendulous, 2½-3 in. long, and composed of many individual flowers; female flowers are globular and about 1 in. diameter; fruits are reddish purple to orange, ¾-1 in. across, mature in summer.
• Spreads: by seed and by vegetative growth through sprouting.
• Look-alikes: exotic invasive white mulberry (Morus alba) and native trees including red mulberry (Morus rubra), American basswood (Tilia americana) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum), due to a shared leaf form.

Prevention and Control
See Control Options.

Native Alternatives
Basswood (Tilia heterophylla) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum) have similar foliage and form and grow in similar places as paper mulberry.