Moraceae · Morus

Shahtoot / White Mulberry

Morus alba

Also known as Mulberry

ShrubMedicinal
Habit
Shrub
Found in India
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh & more
Flowering
Throughout the year

Plant Details

Scientific name
Morus alba
Genus
Morus
Family
Moraceae
Habit
Shrub
Habitat
Cultivated
Habitat type
Cultivated
Native to
China
Distribution
India, Afghanistan and North West Asia
Found in India
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Puducherry, Tripura
Flowering & fruiting
Throughout the year
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape
OrbicularrecordedRounded, roughly circular.On young, vigorous shoots, the leaves may be up to 30 cm (12 in) long, and deeply and intricately lobed, with the lobes rounded. — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lobed leaf margin
Leaf margin
LobedrecordedThe edge is divided into rounded or pointed sections that don't reach the midrib.On young, vigorous shoots, the leaves may be up to 30 cm (12 in) long, and deeply and intricately lobed, with the lobes rounded. — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf surface
Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement
Alternate
Simple type leaf character
Type
Simple
Pinnate venation leaf character
Venation
Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Shahtoot itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower arrangement
CatkinrecordedA slim, often dangling spike of tiny, usually wind-pollinated flowers.The flowers are single-sex catkins; — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Inflorescence
Catkin
Fruit
Drupe

Characters marked “recorded” are for Shahtoot itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi
शहतूत Shahtoot,शहतूत shahatut
Nepali
किम्बु Kumbu
Bengali
সাদা তুঁত
Kannada
ಹಹಿಪ್ಪುನೇರಳೆ Hippu nerale, ಕಂಬಳಿಗಿಡ Kambali gida, ಹಿಪ್ಪಲನೇರಳೆ Hippala nerale

About Shahtoot

White Mulberry (Morus alba) belongs to the Moraceae family, where it grows as a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and 13 other states. It is cultivated. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.

Uses

Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.

Illustration representing the Moraceae family
Botanical family

Moraceae

Fig/Mulberry family

Shahtoot belongs to the Moraceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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