History and origin of black mulberry

Morus nigra L., also called black mulberry, is native to Southwestern Asia. It has been grown throughout Europe and around the Mediterranean for centuries.

The term, Morus, comes from the Latin word ‘mora’, meaning delay, probably because of the very slow development of its buds. An alternative explanation is that it comes from the Celtic ‘mor’ (black), referring to the colour of the fruit.

Black mulberry is believed to have originated from Iran. It was known to the Greeks and Romans before the Christian era. Black mulberry was one of the first to be adapted and cultivated for its fruits, not only for food but also for medicinal purposes, by Greeks and Romans.

It was also cultivated in ancient Egypt. It is the most important species in the Mediterranean countries. The black mulberry (Turkish name “Kara Dut”) is widely grown in Turkey for its delicious edible fruits.

It was reported that M. nigra was cultivated in classical times in Italy, and was grown in Greece and Italy for the silk worm industry until the introduction of Morus alba, which is of greater nutritive value for silk worms.

The tree was introduced into America for silkworm culture in early colonial times and naturalized and hybridized with the native red mulberry.

According to a classical fable, the fruit of mulberry was once white but got reddened by the tragic lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe, a story parodied by Shakespeare in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
History and origin of black mulberry

Origin of mulberry fruit

Mulberry has its origin in different part of the world.  The red mulberry is native of United States, whereas black mulberry is a native to western Asia but long agog found its way to Greece and Rome, and thence to other parts of Europe.

The mulberry as dedicated by the Greeks to Minerva, probably because it was considered the wisest of trees and Jupiter the protector was called Morea.

White mulberry is considered to have originated in China and is grown mainly in tropical countries. It has been grown primarily for its leaves, as silkworm folder and it was for this purpose that the trees were brought to other parts of the world.

The first black mulberry trees of England are said to have been planted at Sion House, the seat of the Duke of Northumberland in 1548. Others say that the first mulberry tree planted in England was in the garden at Lambeth Place, by Cardinal Pole 1555.

In the early 1600s, the English King James I, shipped white mulberry trees and silkworms to the colony of Virginia to start silkworm production, which was unsuccessful. However, enthusiasm for silkworm culture reached a peak in the decade of the 1830s when a new, supposedly superior type of mulberry was introduced.
Origin of mulberry fruit