13132 Morus rubra – Red Mullberry

Description

The deciduous tree is very rare and hardly found outside botanical gardens. Fully matured it grows to heights of 10-12 metres. The 7-14 cm large leaves are heart to egg-shaped and heavily serrated. Plenty of small flowers appear during April and May. The cylindrical, 2-3 cm long mull berry fruits change their colour from green to red to almost purple. Actually, it is the dark red colouring of the fruits how the plant came to its name. The fruits are rich in vitamines and extremely delicious. Above that, they can be made into marmalade, juices or used for fruit pies.