Paper mulberry

Where does Paper mulberry grow?

Found in: Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Britain, Cambodia, China, Easter Island, Fiji, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marquesas, Myanmar, New Zealand, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Rotuma, Russia, Samoa, SE Asia, Sikkim, Slovenia, South America, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Tonga, United States, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, Yap

Notes: Tapa cloth used by Polynesians is made from this plant. Paper is also made from it in China. There are 4-8 Broussonetia species. Chemical composition (leaves, dried): 17% calcium carbonate. It can become invasive.

Status: The tree still has some importance for Tapa cloth and rope in Papua New Guinea. It is not a major food plant.

Growing Paper mulberry

Cultivation: Trees can be grown from seeds or root suckers. Seeds are often not available. Young buds can be removed to give a straight unbranched tree. The seeds take 1-3 months to germinate at 15°C. Stem cuttings can be used.

Edible Uses: The young leaves are lightly cooked and eaten. The fleshy part of the ripe compound fruit is sweet and edible. It is eaten raw. They are added to desserts and conserves. The seeds are also edible. (The bark is also used for making cloth.) CAUTION: Eating a lot of fruit is reported to affect calcium absorption.

Production: It is fast growing.

Nutrition Info

Paper mulberry Photos

References

Polynesian mulberry references Broussonetia papyrifera

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 678

Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 87

Bajpai, O., et al, 2015, Tree species of the Himalayan Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, India: a checklist. Check List 11(4): 1718

Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 61

Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 67

Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 192

Brown, Flora of Southeastern Polynesia 3 Dicotyledons p 33

Cao, Y., et al, 2020, Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants used by three trans-boundary ethnic groups in Jiangcheng County, Pu’er, Southwest China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2020) 16:66

Clarke, W.C. & Thaman, R.R., 1993, Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for sustainability. United Nations University Press. New York. p 225

Coombes, A.J., 2000, Trees. Dorling Kindersley Handbooks. p 218

Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 260

Dobriyal, M. J. R. & Dobriyal, R., 2014, Non Wood Forest Produce an Option for Ethnic Food and Nutritional Security in India. Int. J. of Usuf. Mngt. 15(1):17-37

Elevitch, C.R.(ed.), 2006, Traditional Trees of the Pacific Islands: Their Culture, Environment and Use. Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa, Hawaii. p 171

Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 142

Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org

Franklin, J., Keppel, G., & Whistler, W., 2008, The vegetation and flora of Lakeba, Nayau and Aiwa Islands, Central Lau Group, Fiji. Micronesica 40(1/2): 169–225, 2008

French, B.R., 1986, Food Plants of Papua New Guinea, A Compendium. Asia Pacific Science Foundation p 321

Gillaumin, R., 1954, Les Plantes utiles des Nouvelles-Hebrides (fin et complement) In: Journal d'agriculture tropicale et de botanique appliquee Vol. 1, No. 10-12 pp 453-460

Hani Medicine of Xishuangbanna, 1999, p 419

Hedrick, U.P.(ed), 1919, Sturtevant’s Edible Plants of the World p 121 (138)

Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 47

Hide, R., et al, 1979, A checklist of some plants in the territory of the Sinasina Nimai (Simbai Province, Papua New Guinea), with notes on their uses. Department Anthropology, University of Aukland

Hwang, H., et al, 2013, A Study on the Flora of 15 Islands in the Western Sea of Jeollanamdo Province, Korea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Vol. 6, No. 2 281-310

Jin, Chen et al, 1999, Ethnobotanical studies on Wild Edible Fruits in Southern Yunnan: Folk Names: Nutritional Value and Uses. Economic Botany 53(1) pp 2-14

Ju, Y., et al, 2013, Eating from the wild: diversity of wild edible plants used by Tibetans in Shangri-la region, Yunnan, China, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethno medicine 9:28

Kang, Y., et al, 2012, Wild food plants and wild edible fungi in two valleys on the Qinling Mountains (Shaanxi, central China) Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine; 9:26

Kiple, K.F. & Ornelas, K.C., (eds), 2000, The Cambridge World History of Food. CUP p 1828

Krishen P., 2006, Trees of Delhi, A Field Guide. DK Books. p 104

Kuo, W. H. J., (Ed.) Taiwan's Ethnobotanical Database (1900-2000), http://tk.agron.ntu.edu.tw/ethnobot/DB1.htm

Liefting, A., et al, Samoan plant names. http://en.wikipedia.org

Little, E.L., 1980, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. Alfred A. Knopf. p 429

Luo, B., et al, 2019, Wild edible plants collected by Hani from terraced rice paddy agroecosystem in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan, China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 15:56

Lyle, S., 2006, Discovering fruit and nuts. Land Links. p 95

Makino,

Marinelli, J. (Ed), 2004, Plant. DK. p 446

Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 205

Mot So Rau Dai an Duoc O Vietnam. Wild edible Vegetables. Ha Noi 1994, p 175

Mozhui, R., et al, 2011, Wild edible fruits used by the tribals of Dimapur district of Nagaland, India. Pleione 5(1): 56 - 64.

Neal, C.M., 1965, In Gardens of Hawaii, Bishop Museum Press. p

Peekel, P.G., 1984, (Translation E.E.Henty), Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for Naturalists, Division of Botany, Lae, PNG. p 131, 133

Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/

Plants of Papua New Guinea LAE herbarium record

Purseglove, J.W., 1968, Tropical Crops:Dicotyledons, Longmans. p 377

READ

Recher, P, 2001, Fruit Spirit Botanical Gardens Plant Index. www.nrg.com.au/~recher/ seedlist.html p 5

Smith, A.C., 1981, Flora Vitiensis Nova, Lawaii, Kuai, Hawaii, Volume 2 p 203

Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 404 (Drawing)

Tabl. regn. veg. 3:547. 1799

Tanaka, T., 1976, Tanaka’s Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku. p 108

Terra, G.J.A., 1973, Tropical Vegetables. Communication 54e Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, p 33

Valder, P., 1999, The Garden Plants of China. Florilegium. p 267

Van Sam, H. et al, 2004, Trees of Laos and Vietnam: A Field Guide to 100 Economically or Ecologically Important Species. Blumea 29 (2004) 201-349

Wang, J. et al, 2013, A Study on the Utilization of Wild Plants for Food in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Plant Diversity and Resources. 35(4): 416-471

Wealth of India p 230

World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

www.eFloras.org Flora of China

www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/treedb/

Xu, You-Kai, et al, 2004, Wild Vegetable Resources and Market Survey in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China. Economic Botany. 58(4): 647-667.

Yuncker, T.G., 1959, Plants of Tonga, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Hawaii, Bulletin 220. p 97

Zizka, G., 1991, Flowering Plants of Easter Island. Palmarum Hortus Francofurtensis