Mulberry Tree Suggestion

i guess the fake pakistani that you’ve come across is the genuine fake, and those that i have come across are the fake fakes

Actually your comments play into the hands of some unscrupulous U.S. online sellers who would like buyers to think of ‘Pakistan’ mulberry as a unique genotype of Morus when in fact it is a unique phenotype of Morus macroura (corrected). In the former case, the sellers are typically offering seedlings of Morus rubra.

well then, i better do something to prevent my comments from playing into the hands of unscrupulous online sellers. If rubra’s are the purported impostors, then have to differentiate between the two

unfortunately could only go as far as phenotypic differences(unless anyone in this forum has a budget for dna testing?), but here goes–

rubra fruits are usually just 1" long( 1.5" tops https://www.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/iowa_trees/trees/red_mulberry.html). And these are the fruits of pakistani’s. Also notable is the tendency of rubras to have lobed foliage, whereas pakistani’s are generally simple cordates


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There is a unique ‘Pakistan’ cultivar. Its place of collection is well documented in GRIN. I don’t understand why you keep referring to it in plural form - as if there is more than one cultivar.

yes pakistani is unique,
and no, the apostrophe was not to indicate plurality, but as possessive

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Ok, and why do you call it “pakistani” instead of the established name of “Pakistan”?

there’s some euphony to it that tickles my fancy

I think it’s just more natural to call a cultivar using a possessive form, like “Italian Prune” and not “Italy Prune”, or “Persian Mulberry” and not “Persia Mulberry”.

Granted, I’ve never had occasion to sample the fruits of the named white-fruited varieties, like Tehama, but every other white-fruited selection (all random M.alba seedlings in fencerows, public parks,etc.) I’ve ever sampled were pretty disappointing - at best, kind of sweet, with no tartness, and really no flavor other than sort of ‘grassy’.

I would say the same (poor taste) for random seedlings of many other fruits.

Although the “Pakistan” was sourced from an old grove in Pakistan, it is not representative of Morus species or cultivars found there. This issue is very different from “Italian Prune” of which there are several cultivars, and “Persian Mulberry” which represents a species.

If we started calling cultivars in possessive form, then we’d use names like
Katy’s Apricot
Amphissa’s Olive
:slightly_smiling:

Perhaps the Mulberry experts could add a new section on to @speedster1 's poll post with Mulberry varieties?

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You all come up with a running list and I’ll add it to the poll. I don’t know much about mulberries.

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How about you start with Pakistani :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Here are lists of Mulberry species and cultivars known to NCGR. You’ll need to click on each link for details:

Maclura pomifera

Maclura tricuspidata

Morus alba

Morus australis

Morus cathayana

Morus hybr.

Morus macroura

Morus nigra

Morus rubra

Morus spp.

Now that I’m looking directly at the NCGR listing, I see that Mulberry ‘Pakistan’ is cataloged as DMOR 15.

Bleeding dirt-where do you live? That’s important. The red varieties can deal with the humidity and summer rain of SE and E coast. I agree with Lucky that many albas aren’t worth growing. I can tolerate eating them but I don’t enjoy it. The nigras usually can’t handle the severe cold of NE nor the humidity of SE and E coast. THey are recommended for the West Coast. They are my favorite flavor of mulberry.
John s
PDX OR

Could the poor taste you experience be due to climate? I enjoy the Hunza Seedless grown in my climate.

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John, I’m in San Jose, CA. I need a shade tree with non-staining fruits. That leaves only Albas…

Lucky and I live in dramatically different climates, yet, as many across the country do, share the same flavor experience. It could more likely be individual flavor preference, I think.
John PDX OR