White mulberry (Eng), morera, morera blanca (Spa), morera blanca, morer blanc (Cat), masustabe, marhugatze (Baq), moreira branca (Glg), amoreira-branca (Por).
“Kublai Khan commanded the minting of money from the membrane found between the bark and trunk of the mulberry.”
‘The travels of’ Marco PoloThis is an oriental plant and is very difficult to pin down its exact natural range as it has been cultivated since ancient times and its seeds are easily transported by birds. It is believed to be native to central and eastern Asia: China, Korea, Mongolia, and northern India. However, it is not certain whether in Japan it is native, or an ancient introduction. It was introduced to the Mediterranean basin in the 6th century, brought to Constantinople by monks, for silkworm-breeding. Legend has it that the fruits arrived hidden in a few sticks of bamboo, because the Chinese kept the lucrative business of silk top secret.
On the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands it is frequently cultivated as an ornamental, mainly in the east, centre and south, and it was particularly important in Murcia and Granada, where it was grown for the production of silk. German geographer and traveller, Alexander von Humboldt, speaks of this species in his Journal in Spain: “Even before Murcia, I had come across a great number of mulberry trees. From time to time you can find the small boxes where the worms are kept. […] The mulberry trees here in Granada are called 'morales'”. This species has naturalized in many places, particularly in ditches, uncultivated fields and the vicinity of human settlements.