Click on the images help you identify a red mulberry.
Form
Small tree, 18 to 30 feet tall, sometimes reaching 50 feet, with a trunk diameter of up to 18 inches. Trunk often divides near the ground into many stout, spreading branches forming a compact, broad, round-topped crown.
Bark
Dark reddish brown, deeply fissured with scaly ridges.
Leaf
Simple, alternate on the stem, 3 to 7 inches long; thin and membranous in texture with margins singly or occasionally doubly toothed; abruptly pointed; variable in form, especially on young shoots, having three to five lobes or a single lobe on one side. Dark bluish green, smooth or rough above, pale and softly hairy beneath; produces a milky juice when broken. Leaves turn yellow in autumn.
Fruit (seed)
Berrylike, about an inch long; red when fully grown, becoming dark purple to black when ripe; sweet, juicy, and very attractive to birds.
Range
Scattered and rare in southeastern Minnesota, found in the Mississippi and Minnesota River valleys; moderately shade tolerant, moderately fast growing.
Wood uses
Coarse-grained, soft, light, weak, decay-resistant wood with thick, lighter-colored sapwood. Of little commercial value, but used for fence posts, boat building, and small articles of furniture; often used in wildlife plantings because the fruit is an important food source.