Plant Profile: Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing'

Names

Illinois Everbearing Red Mulberry

  • Photo of Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' (Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing's)

Phonetic Spelling:MOR-russ ROO-bruh

Genus:Morus

Species:rubra

Family:Moraceae

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing', commonly known as the Illinois Everbearing red mulberry, is a native tree that boasts both edible and ornamental qualities. This species can thrive for up to 125 years, although its tendency to become invasive can be a drawback. Notably, it exhibits greater cold hardiness compared to the black mulberry.

The tree's bark is characterized by a gray-brown hue and features long, scaly ridges. In the summer, it produces clusters of drupes measuring between 1 to 1.25 inches in length, which bear a resemblance to blackberries.

For further details on Morus rubra, please refer to additional resources.

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Feature Summary

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Image Gallery

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Tags

#deciduous
#drought tolerant
#wildlife plant
#messy
#tourquoise
#edible garden
#larval host plant
#fruits
#bird friendly
#butterfly friendly
#non-toxic for horses
#non-toxic for dogs
#non-toxic for cats

Similar Plants

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Feature Summary

Attributes
Wildlife Value:
This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer.  It is a possible host plant for the Red Admiral butterfly. Its fruits are eaten by many birds, especially gray catbirds and northern mockingbirds, foxes, opossums, raccoons, and squirrels.
Edibility:
Jams. jellies and wine from ripe berries
Fruit
Fruit Description:
It produces numerous reddish-black fruit that looks like a blackberry but slender over a long period with a size of 1 1/4''
Fruit Color:
Red/Burgundy
Black
Fruit Length:
1-3 inches
Flowers
Flower Description:
The small yellowish-green cylindrical flower of the Illinois Everbearing red mulberry is not showy. Male flower and female flower can bloom on the same tree or different trees.
Flower Inflorescence:
Insignificant
Catkin
Leaves
Leaf Description:
Has alternate, broad, simple green leaves with a notch at the base and a finely serrated margin. The upper surface is rough, the undersurface is full of soft hair.
Whole Plant Traits
Plant Type:
Edible
Tree
Habit/Form:
Erect
Spreading
Oval
Texture:
Medium
Cultural Conditions
Light:
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil Drainage:
Good Drainage
NC Region:
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Soil Texture:
Clay
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Stem
Landscape
Landscape Theme:
Edible Garden
Landscape Location:
Naturalized Area
Coastal
Attracts:
Butterflies
Songbirds
Bark
Bark Color:
Dark Brown

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Image Gallery

CC BY-NC 2.0
Photo of Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' - Fruit and leaves:JP Goguen

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Attributes

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Wildlife Value

This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer.  It is a possible host plant for the Red Admiral butterfly. Its fruits are eaten by many birds, especially gray catbirds and northern mockingbirds, foxes, opossums, raccoons, and squirrels.

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Edibility

Jams. jellies and wine from ripe berries

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Fruit

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Fruit Description

It produces numerous reddish-black fruit that looks like a blackberry but slender over a long period with a size of 1 1/4''

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Fruit Color

grass
Black
grass
Red/Burgundy

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Fruit Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Fruit Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Flowers

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Flower Description

The small yellowish-green cylindrical flower of the Illinois Everbearing red mulberry is not showy. Male flower and female flower can bloom on the same tree or different trees.

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Flower Color

filter_vintage
Green

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Leaves

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Leaf Description

Has alternate, broad, simple green leaves with a notch at the base and a finely serrated margin. The upper surface is rough, the undersurface is full of soft hair.

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Leaf Color

spa
Green

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Hairs Present

No
Yes

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Whole Plant Traits

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Cultural Conditions

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
4a
thermostat
4b
thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Stem

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Landscape

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' Bark

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Bark Color

grass
Dark Brown

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing': Surface/Attachment

Bumpy
Exfoliating
Fissured
Furrowed
Lenticels
Papery
Patchy
Peeling
Ridges
Scaly
Shaggy
Shiny
Shredding
Smooth
Spongy