Gelso nero

Scientific name: Morus nigra L.

 

Plant characteristics:

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• Growth: It is a medium-sized tree, generally smaller than the white mulberry, reaching heights between 8 and 15 meters. It has a more expanded, irregular and less dense crown than the white mulberry.

• Trunk: The trunk is robust, often short and branched, with a rough, fissured and blackish-brown bark, which becomes darker and scaly with age.

• Leaves: The leaves are deciduous, alternate, larger and rougher to the touch than those of the white mulberry, with an ovate or cordate shape (heart-shaped at the base) and a serrated edge. The upper surface is dark green and rough, while the lower surface is lighter and pubescent. They often have 2-3 lobes, especially in young branches.

• Flowers: The flowers are small and unisexual (generally dioecious plants, with male and female flowers on separate individuals). The male flowers are gathered in pendulous and cylindrical catkins, while the female flowers form short and globose spikes. Flowering occurs in spring, at the same time as the leaves appear.

• Fruits: The fruit is a fleshy infructescence, a sicona (similar to a blackberry), dark black-purple in color when ripe, almost black. They are larger, juicier and have a more intense and sweet and sour flavor than white blackberries. Ripening occurs in summer.

• Buds: The buds are larger and darker than those of the white mulberry.

• Roots: The root system is robust and deep.

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Properties of the plant:

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• High quality edible fruits: Blackberries are highly appreciated for their rich and intense flavor. They are eaten fresh, used to make jams, jellies, juices, syrups, sweets, liqueurs and also as a natural food colouring.

• Antioxidant properties: Black mulberry fruits are rich in anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that help protect cells from free radical damage.

• Traditional medicinal properties (more significant than white mulberry): In folk medicine, different parts of the black mulberry have been used for their properties:

• Fruits: Mild laxatives, expectorants, refreshing.

• Leaves: Astringent, haemostatic, hypoglycemic (some preliminary research suggests a potential effect on blood sugar control).

• Roots and bark: Diuretic, vermifuge.

• Blackberry juice: Anti-inflammatory for the throat. It is important to consult a doctor before using any part of the plant for therapeutic purposes.

• Ornamental use: Due to its characteristic shape and dark fruit, black mulberry can also be grown as an ornamental, although it is less common than white mulberry.

• Natural dye: The juice of blackberries is a powerful natural dye that is dark purple in color.

 

Fun facts about the plant:

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• Uncertain origins: The precise origin of the black mulberry is uncertain, but it is believed to be native to Western Asia (Persia and Mesopotamia). It then spread to Europe in Roman times.

• Less linked to silkworm breeding: The leaves of the black mulberry are not the silkworm's favorite food, although they can be consumed in the absence of those of the white mulberry. For this reason, its cultivation has not historically been linked to the silk industry like that of the white mulberry.

• More resistant to drought: Compared to the white mulberry, the black mulberry is generally more resistant to drought.

• Long-lived tree: It can live for several hundred years.

• Stains floors: The ripe fruits, when falling, can stain floors and surfaces with their colored juice.

• Symbolism: In some cultures, the black mulberry is associated with wisdom and mourning (due to the dark color of the fruits).