Mulberry.

MULBERRY
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Morus spp.
Moraceae
Common Names: Mulberry.

Species: White Mulberry (Morus alba L.), Black Mulberry (M. nigra L.), American Mulberry, Red Mulberry (M. rubra L.). Hybrid forms exist between Morus alba and M. rubra.

Related Species: Korean Mulberry (Morus australis), Himalayan Mulberry (M. laevigata).

Distant Affinity: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus spp.), Che (Cudrania tricuspidata), African Breadfruit (Treculia african).

Origin: The white mulberry is native to eastern and central China. It became naturalized in Europe centuries ago. The tree was introduced into America for silkworm culture in early colonial times and naturalized and hybridized with the native red mulberry. The red or American mulberry is native to eastern United States from Massachusetts to Kansas and down to the Gulf coast. The black mulberry is native to western Asia and has been grown for its fruits in Europe since before Roman times.

Adaptation: The white mulberry, and to a lesser extent the red mulberry, are quite tolerant of drought, pollution and poor soil. The white mulberry is considered a weed tree in many parts of the country including urban areas. The black mulberry is more fastidious, faring less well in cold climates or areas with humid summers. The white mulberry is the most cold-hardy of the three species, although this varies from one clone to another. Some are damaged at 25° F, while others are unfazed at -25° F. Red mulberries are hardy to sub-zero temperatures. The black mulberry is the least cold-hardy of the three, although again cold tolerance seems to depend on the clone. In general it is limited to USDA Hardiness Zone 7 (0° to 10° F average minimum) or warmer. They have been planted only to a limited extent in America, mostly on the Pacific Coast. The mulberry makes a good town tree which will grow well in a tub.
DESCRIPTION
Growth Habit: All three mulberry species are deciduous trees of varying sizes. White mulberries can grow to 80 ft. and are the most variable in form, including drooping and pyramidal shapes. In the South on rich soils the red mulberry can reach 70 ft. in height. The black mulberry is the smallest of the three, sometimes growing to 30 ft. in height, but it tends to be a bush if not trained when it is young. The species vary greatly in longevity. Red mulberry trees rarely live more than 75 years, while black mulberries have been known to bear fruit for hundreds of years. The mulberry makes an attractive tree which will bear fruit while still small and young.

Foliage: The white mulberry is so-named for the color of its buds, rather than the color of its fruit. The thin, glossy, light green leaves are variously lobed even on the same plant. Some are unlobed while others are glove-shaped. Leaves of the red mulberry are larger and thicker, blunt toothed and often lobed. They are rough on their upper surfaces and pubescent underneath. The smaller black mulberry leaves are similar to those of the red mulberry, but with sturdier twigs and fatter buds. The species vary in the time of year they begin to leaf-out. White mulberries generally come out in early spring, almost two months before black mulberries.

Flowers: Mulberry trees are either dioecious or monoecious, and sometimes will change from one sex to another. The flowers are held on short, green, pendulous, nondescript catkins that appear in the axils of the current season's growth and on spurs on older wood. They are wind pollinated and some cultivars will set fruit without any pollination. Cross-pollination is not necessary. In California mulberries set fruit without pollination.

Fruit: Botanically the fruit is not a berry but a collective fruit, in appearance like a swollen loganberry. When the flowers are pollinated, they and their fleshy bases begin to swell. Ultimately they become completely altered in texture and color, becoming succulent, fat and full of juice. In appearance, each tiny swollen flower roughly resembles the individual drupe of a blackberry. The color of the fruit does not identify the mulberry species. White mulberries, for example, can produce white, lavender or black fruit. White mulberry fruits are generally very sweet but often lacking in needed tartness. Red mulberry fruits are usually deep red, almost black, and in the best clones have a flavor that almost equals that of the black mulberry. Black mulberry fruits are large and juicy, with a good balance of sweetness and tartness that makes them the best flavored species of mulberry. The refreshing tart taste is in some ways reminiscent of grapefruit. Mulberries ripen over an extended period of time unlike many other fruits which seem to come all at once.

Siena college basketball ranking

The best class in Siena basketball history saw their careers come to an end today as #4 Purdue defeated the 13th seeded Saints 72-64 in a South Region First Round matchup here at Spokane Arena before a crowd of 10,895. Siena, which matched a program record for wins, finishes an outstanding 2009-10 season at 27-7.

After a slow start by both teams, Purdue (28-5) opened a modest five point lead at 15-10 following a Chris Kramer layup at the 11:32 mark. But the Saints finally caught fire, scoring the game's next eight points and following a Kyle Downey three took a 32-29 lead into intermission. Downey, who replaced the injured Clarence Jackson in the starting lineup, finished with six points.

Siena's lead would be short-lived as the Boilermakers took control right away to start the second half. Purdue scored the first 13 points of the stanza and ran its decisive run to 20-3 over the first six plus minutes to build an insurmountable 49-35 lead at the 13:55 mark.

But the resilient Saints battled back throughout the closing minutes and nearly pulled off an unthinkable comeback. Down 15 (66-51) with 5:47 remaining, Siena responded with a 12-0 run over the next 4:42 capped by a Ryan Rossiter driving lay-in to make it a one possession game at 66-63 with 1:05 left. Senior Edwin Ubiles was crucial during the run, scoring eight of the Saints' 12 points.

But Siena's offense ran out of gas in the final minute as the Saints missed their final five shots. Purdue shot 53.6% in the decisive second half, while the Saints were limited to just 27.8% for the stanza.

Ubiles led four Saints in double figures with 18 points and finishes his brilliant career with 1,939 career points - good for third best in program history. Classmate Ronald Moore added 14 points and dished out five assists, completing his career with 823 career helpers, good for 23rd best in Division I history.