Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush …

July 24, 2026

The sweetest treat we offer at FECO are the drupes (berries) from our Illinois Everbearing mulberry tree. The tree not only draws crowds, it is self-pollinating and, in our experience, disease free. It produces copious amounts of fruit all summer long, hence the name Everbearing. In Turkey they make a snack called cevizli sucuk – walnuts coated with mulberry molasses (partially dried mulberries)!

Considered one of the best tasting cold-hardy mulberries, our Illinois Everbearing is a hybrid between the red mulberry (morus rubra – from North America) and the white mulberry (morus alba – China). Mulberry is in the fig family (Moraceae). Our variety originated in Illinois around 1947. Because the berries were large, flavorful, nearly seedless and had a long season, the tree was introduced commercially in 1958.

Illinois Everbearing trees are vigorous and fast-growing, reaching 20–30 feet tall unless pruned. Cold-hardy to Zone 4 (-34ºC), they resist late frosts better than many other fruit trees. Their flowers are attractive to insects seeking pollen and it also makes a nice shade tree.

The tree is a major distraction for our volunteers and the KidsCo kids, who often break from their tasks to pluck out a few sweet mulberry drupes (each tiny drupelet contains a seed). It’s the volunteer’s favorite fruit. Birds and squirrels indulge as well. Ojo! The delicious fruit will stain fingers and sidewalks.

All parts of the tree – leaves, stems and fruits – contain alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponins, tannins, quinones, anthraquinones, and other phytochemicals. Antioxidant activity is highest in mulberry fruits, followed by stems and leaves. Studies show that antioxidants from mulberry can mitigate oxidative stress linked to diseases like cancer and diabetes.

male stigmas & female ovaries

Many ruminants, pigs, and even humans regularly consume mulberry leaves as they are rich in protein, antioxidants, vitamin C, zinc, calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. People in many countries, especially Asian countries, make leaf extracts, herbal teas and also cook the young leaves.

The leaves of white mulberries (Morus alba – from China) are the sole food source for silk worms. Cultivation for leaf production has been going on for an estimated 4,700 years. When you wear silk you are wearing protein filaments spun by silkworms! Parts of the mulberry tree are also used as fodder, fertilizer and fuel.

As we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush,
As we go round the mulberry bush,
We can contemplate the amazing value of all parts of this wonderful tree!

Ruth

Resources:

Mulberry leaves and their potential effects against cardiometabolic risks: a review of chemical compositions, biological properties and clinical efficacy
Thanchanit Thaipitakwong, Surawej Numhom Pornanong Aramwit
Pharmaceutical Biology 2018 Jan 18;56(1):109–118.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6130672/

Nutritional facts for Mulberries
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content?contenttypeid=76&contentid=09190-2

University of Wisconsin, Uncommon Fruit, 2013
‘ https://uncommonfruit.cias.wisc.edu/mulberry/

West Coast Plants – Illinois Everbearing Mulberry – (growing information)
‘https://westcoastplants.ca/products/illinois-mulberry

‘The Cutting Edge Podcast Episode #43: Mulberries Part I, Current Research and Historical Context
Written by Steffen Mirsky – A part of the The Cutting Edge Podcast program
A conversation with Eliza Greenman, fruit explorer and Germplasm Specialist at the Savanna Institute, and Scott Brainard, Tree Crop Breeder at the Savanna Institute and post-doc at UW-Madison, about the history of mulberries and current research to develop improved varieties for agroforestry systems.
July, 2023
‘https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/articles/the-cutting-edge-podcast-episode-43-mulberries-part-i-current-research-and-historical-context/

UF/IFAS Extension Orange County » ‘Marvelous Mulberries
(Mulberry Nutrition Facts)
Dr. Heather Kalaman
University of Rochester Medicine, Health Encyclopedia, 2023
‘https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/orangeco/2023/09/11/marvelous-mulberries/

Nutrition importance and health benefits of mulberry leaf extract: A review
shubhajit sarkhel, Ramachandra Chaluvadi Thippeswamy, Dronachari Manvi
Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 2020
https://www.academia.edu/44026295/Nutrition_importance_and_health_benefits_of_mulberry_leaf_extract_A_review

Phytochemical Screening and Comparative Study of Antioxidant Activity of Different Parts of Mulberry Plant
Vidya. K. Kakade, Abhijeet S. Kulkarni, et. al.
International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 2022
https://www.academia.edu/92962438/Phytochemical_Screening_and_Comparative_Study_of_Antioxidant_Activity_of_Different_Parts_of_Mulberry_Plant