mulberry ID?

[Wes Ramsey]

Here in north-central AR we have what I think are two different types of mulberry trees. One has very yellow wood and looks similar to (but is not) osage orange, and the other has a darkish red heartwood that goes to a light brown between the heart and sapwood. Both are common here and as far as I know they are both mulberry, but the wood is very different and I can't seem to find any information on the proper names or how to identify one from the other. All the 'red' mulberry I've seen looks like typical mulberry when standing, but the only 'yellow' mulberry I've seen was already cut or long dead when I got to it so I haven't been able to make any sort of bark or leaf comparisons. The wood database further confuses me as it gives a fine description of 'yellow' mulberry, yet shows a picture of 'red' mulberry and doesn't make any distinction.

Are these different varieties of mulberry or does the wood change color with age/size/location/day-of-the-week? Can anyone shed some light on this mystery for me?

[Jim Andrew]

I have sawn some mulberry on my bandmill, and it is yellow when first cut. Seems to darken while drying, and appears to continue to darken after it is built into some project. A neighbor used some for inlay, and now he says he can hardly tell the mulberry from the walnut he inlayed it into.

[Wes Ramsey]

I've turned some pieces from the yellow mulberry and yes, it darkens a great deal over time from a bright yellow to a dull mud color. I actually have a 'red' mulberry down in my yard that I cut a couple of months ago and haven't done anything with yet. The butt end is darker, but still similar in color to what it was when I cut it and not anywhere close to being yellow. I may whack off a chunk of it this week and turn something just to see what it does and show the difference in wood color.

[Cody Colston]

Red Mulberry is a pale yellow when sawn. It will often have reddish-brown heart wood and the yellow will turn rusty brown with UV exposure and oxidation, similar to Bois d' Arc. I think what you have is all Red Mulberry. I've never heard of Yellow Mulberry, even though the wood is yellow.

[Ted Calver]

Fruit bearing or not? If the trees are located in someones yard they are probably one of the seedless cultivars of white mulberry (Morus alba 'fruitless') as they are widely sold as ornamentals. If they are fruit bearing and the fruit is red they are more likely red mulberry (Morus rubra). The seedless mulberry I have turned was bright yellow when freshly cut and the color faded to light brown after finishing.

[Danny Hamsley]

I agree with Cody. Red mulberry, Morus rubra, is our native mulberry. White mulberry, Morus alba, was brought over from SE Asia for the silk trade as the silkworms feed on the leaves. The leaves of red mulberry are scabrous on top, that is rough like sandpaper. The leaves on white mulberry are as smooth as a baby's bottom. The heartwood of red mulberry is yellow when sawn and oxidizes to a dark brown after it has been exposed to air after a while.

There is also another import from China and Japan called paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera. The leaves are very scabrous, but the bark is much smoother than red mulberry. I have not seen paper mulberry wood.

[Mike Monroe]

Mulberry is a decent firewood also. Has to be dry though and it throws sparks, so I don't recommend burning it in a fireplace.

[Wes Ramsey]

Sorry - was on vacation last week. The mulberry trees I cut are all native. So the yellow and red woods are from the same species? The one in my yard that is red is different than the bright yellow wood I've seen. Does the wood change look that much in different parts of the tree?

[Danny Hamsley]

Post some pics if you can of the end grain.