Can anyone identify this thing?

[mrs_sweetpeach]

Last summer I noticed a tree growing along the fence separating my yard from my neighbor's. At the time, it was about 3' tall. It has now reached a height of approximately ten feet, and, last night I noticed that it is bearing fruit. Is this some sort of evil weed tree that will take over my garden if I don't keep an eye out for volunteers?




Am I correct in thinking it is a White Mulberry Tree (Morus alba)?

Comments

[silver-chipmunk.livejournal.com]

I don't know what it is, but it looks kinda' pretty.

Yeah, classic Mulberry leaves

[belladonnaf66.livejournal.com]

and silk worms love them. We had a type in California that we loved, and as long as the fruit doesn't fall on sidewalks, it's an awesome tree.

It will grow 20 30 feet

Side note- the Pilgrims brought the white mulberry over...lol. The red is a native tree.

Re: Yeah, classic Mulberry leaves

[tceisele.livejournal.com]

Yep, it looks exactly like our mulberry trees. Depending on which type of mulberry it is, the fruit could range from "insipid" to downright tasty, but it will be safe to eat and pretty easy to harvest, regardless (an easy way to harvest is to put a sheet under the tree, and shake it). You might want to wait until the fruit ripens (which should be pretty soon now), and see if you like them before you decide whether or not to cut it down. We planted several mulberry trees on purpose, and I really like the pies we make from the fruit. It's especially good if you mix them with something excessively tart, like sour cherries, to moderate the tartness without having to pile in tons and tons of sugar.

Re: Yeah, classic Mulberry leaves

[tceisele.livejournal.com]

Oh, one other thing: on ours, the fruit is fully ripe when it turns black, but when they are still a bit red they have a bit more tartness if you prefer tart fruit to sweet fruit.

[ladyinfidel.livejournal.com]

that would be a tree of some sort. dig it out if you don't want a tree there. i have them EVERYWHERE!

[drsulak.livejournal.com]

Mulberry. Edible, if a bit crunchy. Messy tree.

[mbumby.livejournal.com]

Wonder if that's the mystery-weed we had in the corner of our backyard (fence-line X 2) -- C & I dug it out, removing a LOT of root-material. Went down SEVERAL (3-5?) feet. I had to put in I think it was 3 of those BAGS of dirt-stuff to fill all the root-space. And it came back the next year. Not sure we got fruit on ours. Wonder if mulberries have gender.