Morus

Also known as mulberry, mulberries, mulberry tree, mulberry genus

genus of plants

OverviewAI-generated

Morus is a genus within the family Moraceae, classified as a taxon of trees. The taxonomic type is Morus nigra, and the group includes species that produce drupes with red or purple coloration. These plants are a source of mulberry. One species, Morus alba, is cultivated in New Guinea and is the food plant of silkworms.

A separate accepted genus named Morus exists within the class Aves, order Pelecaniformes, and family Sulidae. This marine organism is found in the United States, Mexico, China, and Canada, with records held by institutions including SDNHM, FC-UNAM, CAS, UCMP, and STDOM.

Synthesized by Vinony from 36 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, Plants of the World, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Genus

PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPelecaniformes
FamilySulidae

Habitatmarine

Native toAlabama, Andaman Is., Arizona, Arkansas, Assam, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia

「桑」重定向至此。關於中國姓氏，詳見「桑姓」。维基百科中的醫療相关内容仅供参考，詳見醫學聲明。如需专业意见请咨询专业人士。桑叶桑树，又稱娘仔樹（臺灣話：niû-á-tshiū）。有许多种，有乔木也有灌木，有“华桑”、“白桑”、“鸡桑”等。其果实名为桑葚。

via · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 903
With media: 577
Family: Sulidae
Collections: SDNHM, FC-UNAM, CAS, UCMP, STDOM, ECOSUR
Recorded in: United States, Mexico, China, Canada

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Research

3,383 papers

Morus alba: a comprehensive phytochemical and pharmacological review.ReviewNaunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2023Batiha GE, Al-Snafi AE, Thuwaini MM et al.DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02434-4
Morus polysaccharides: from purification and structural properties to pharmaceutical and nano applications.ReviewBioorganic chemistry · 2025Liu B, Xu Y, Wang Y et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2025.108659
Morus alba (mulberry), a natural potent compound in management of obesity.ReviewPharmacological research · 2019Mahboubi MDOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2019.104341
Herbal Technological Prospects of Morus nigra L.: A Systematic Patent Analysis Review.ReviewRecent patents on biotechnology · 2024Alves LP, Dos Santos WM, de Souza ML et al.DOI: 10.2174/1872208317666230821102411
Mulberry leaf (Morus alba L.): A review of its potential influences in mechanisms of action on metabolic diseases.ReviewPharmacological research · 2022Zhang R, Zhang Q, Zhu S et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.106029
Medicinal properties of Morus alba for the control of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.F1000Research · 2021Morales Ramos JG, Esteves Pairazamán AT, Mocarro Willis MES et al.DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.55573.1
Natural Products and Biological Activities of Plants from Genus Morus: 2011-2023.ReviewCurrent topics in medicinal chemistry · 2023Wang YA, Liu C, Guo X et al.DOI: 10.2174/0115680266257370230920055003
Insights into the Activities and Usefulness of Deoxynojirimycin and Morus alba: A Comprehensive Review.ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Tricase AF, Cavalluzzi MM, Catalano A et al.DOI: 10.3390/molecules30153213

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~22 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Morus, a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinate taxa, though the three most common are referred to as white, red, and black, originating from the color of their dormant buds and not necessarily the fruit color (Morus alba, M. rubra, and M. nigra, respectively), with numerous cultivars and some taxa currently unchecked and awaiting taxonomic scrutiny. M. alba is native to South Asia, but is widely distributed across Europe, Southern Africa, South America, and North America. M. alba is also the species most preferred by the silkworm. It is regarded as an invasive species in Brazil, the United States and some states of Australia.

The closely related genus Broussonetia is also commonly known as mulberry, notably the paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Morus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.