Dwarf Mulbery Varieties (forum)

TasV starts with ...
I have a very old, own-root, deciduous, dark black mulberry tree down here in Tas that is a very heavy cropper of medium sized plump fruit. It produces very large, roundish leaves and is no more than about 3-4m tall without top pruning. It's been there at least 25-30 years. I was wondering what variety it might be... I'm having trouble finding actual variety names for dwarf mulberries apart from things like Dwarf Black (whose fruit it resembles but the leaves appear to be much larger and rounder). Its trunk and all the branches as very stout and the bark quite fissured. It probably would make branches to the ground, however; over the years it has been pruned to a single strong trunk so I can mow under it (the thickness and sturdiness of the branches make it unpleasant to mow under). The canopy is spreading to about as wide is it is tall and is dense and compact (so that when it is in fruit my kids climb it and hide in it completely hidden from view from the outside).

Thanks in advance,

Simon

Time: 2nd May 2013 1:38am

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Original Post was last edited: 2nd May 2013 1:42am
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Boris Spasky says...
You'll find that practically all black mulberries grown in Australia stems back to "Black English" (morus nigra). The only other one of note grown here is Hicks Fancy. However that is a different species, morus rubra or red mulberry.
Trees of antiquity such as mulberries and figs generally didn't have varietal names until nurseries came along.

Time: 2nd May 2013 10:38pm

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TasV says...
So... I want to give a friend of mine cuttings of this tree. How should one refer to it? Should it be given a study name instead such as Morus nigra "Forth Dwarf"?

Time: 4th May 2013 12:38am

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TasV says...
Is this it? http://www.onlinetrees.com.au/p/4054364/morus-rubra-mulberry---hicks-fancy-red-mulberry-.html

If so I think you have solved the mystery for me. The thick gnarled branches, fruit, and leaves are exactly the same as my tree.

Time: 4th May 2013 1:03am

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