How to Tell If a Mulberry Tree Is Male or Female

The mulberry tree, or Morus, is a subtropical tree native to America, Asia, Africa and Europe. The tree was widely sought after in Asia because it fed the silkworms. The mulberry is a dioecious species, which means there is a male tree and a female tree. The fruit is sweet and fleshy and sought after by animals, humans and birds but it stains and is messy. If you want a landscape tree, choose the male specimen for it is cleaner and does not fruit. There are three main species of mulberry tree that produce edible fruit: red, white and black, with black and red having the strongest flavors. The trees are deciduous and on average can grow up to 40 feet. Mulberry trees like rich, well-drained soil, require full sun and should be planted about 15 feet apart. Knowing what to look for will help you determine the sex of your mulberry tree.

Things You'll Need

• 1 male mulberry flower
• 1 female mulberry flower

Instructions

1. Purchase a book such as "Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in the Wild" which provides pictures of both the male and the female flowers for identification purposes. The only way to identify a male and female mulberry tree is through the flowers they both produce. Notice the differences between the male and female flowers.

2. Examine the tree for male flowers in late spring because flowers determine the sex of the tree. If it is a male tree it will produce a flower which has elongated cylindrical clusters about 2 inches long in the late spring. The flower is narrow and is green with very small white dots as petals. Mulberry flowers are known as pendant flowers because of their shape. If you see flowers at this time in late spring and they match this description you more than likely have a male tree.

3. Check your tree for female flowers, which also bloom in late spring but usually after the male flowers. Experts cannot pinpoint exact times when female and male tree flowers will bloom and therefore it is possible to have both appearing at the same time but on different trees. Like the male tree, the female tree produces only one type of flower. The globular female flower is shorter then the male--about 1/2 inch to 1 inch long--and a lot plumper then the male flower. The female flower is green and may have a tinge of white and red to it. Unlike the male flower, the female flower will eventually turn into a blackberry-like fruit. Male mulberry flowers have appeared alongside female mulberry flowers on the same tree, but this is rare.

References

• University of California Cooperative Extension: Fruitless Mulberry tree
• California Rare Fruit Growers: Mulberry Fruit Facts