Morus papyrifera L.
A small to medium sized, 3-12 (-16) m tall, dioecious, deciduous tree, upright branches from the base and grey, smooth bark. Young shoots densely villous. Leaves papery, with a densely hairy, (1.5-) 2-12 (-15) cm long petiole; lamina obliquely broad ovate to ovate-elliptic or ± oblong, 4.18 (-20) cm (2-) 3-14 (-16) cm broad, scabrous above, densely soft hairy beneath especially along the veins, entire or serrulate to finely dentate, unlobed or palmately deeply divided with open to close broad obtuse sinuses, 3-costate from truncate to shallowly cordate base, apex short acuminate; stipules ovate, 5-15 mm long, 4-10 mm broad, densely hairy, acuminate. Male catkins axillary or crowded at termini of young shoots, (2-) 5-15 cm long inclusive upto 2 an long hairy peduncles. Male flowers: sepals ovate 1.5-2 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, whitish hairy outside; stain final filaments longer than sepals, with much extorted oval anthers. Female heads globose, solitary on 5-8 (-10) mm long hairy peduncles, 10-20 mm in diameter. Female flowers: sepals oblong connate, c. 2 mm long, with acute long hairy tips; ovary stipitate, included with c. 5-6 mm long, filiform, pink styles. Etaerio of drupes globose, 2-3 cm diameter, orange-red.
Fl. Per.: March-August.
Type: Described from Japan, Herb. Linn. 1112/4 (LINN).
Distribution: A native of Japan, China and S.E. Asia; introduced and cultivated in Russia, Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, W. Asia, tropical Africa, Europe, Polynesia, Philippines, U.S.A. and many other countries as an avenue tree.
Cultivated in Northern Districts of Pakistan as a roadside tree. The bark is used for manufacturing paper in China and Japan and Taps cloth in Polynesia.