Importance of Mulberry in Hawaii

Wauke
Tall skinny wauke plants with green leaves stand closely packed.
Wauke (wă’u-ke)
Paper Mulberry
Broussonetia papyrifera

Mulberry (Morus spp.) holds cultural and economic significance in Hawaii for various reasons:

Cultural Significance:

Traditional Uses: Mulberry has been traditionally used in Hawaii for various purposes. The bark of the mulberry tree was used in making kapa, a traditional Hawaiian fabric, and the wood was employed in crafting tools and other items.

Medicinal Uses: Some cultures value mulberry for its potential medicinal properties. In traditional Hawaiian medicine, parts of the mulberry plant might be used for various health remedies, although practices can vary among different communities.

Ceremonial Importance: Certain plants, including mulberry, may have ceremonial importance in Hawaiian culture. The leaves, for example, might be used in cultural events, rituals, or ceremonies.

Culinary Uses: While not as commonly consumed as in some other cultures, the fruit of the mulberry tree is edible. In Hawaii, people might incorporate mulberries into traditional dishes or use them in cooking and baking.

Economic Significance:

Silk Production: Mulberry leaves are the primary food source for silkworms. While silk production is not as prominent in Hawaii as in some other regions, there have been efforts to explore sericulture (silk farming) as a potential industry. This could contribute to economic diversification.

Mulberry Tea and Products: Mulberry leaves can be used to make tea, and some people value it for its potential health benefits. Additionally, there is a growing market for herbal and specialty teas, and mulberry-based products could find a niche in this market.

Landscaping and Shade: Mulberry trees can be valuable in landscaping for their aesthetic appeal and the shade they provide. They are often used for ornamental purposes in gardens, parks, and along streets. This can contribute to the beautification of urban and suburban areas.

Agroforestry and Permaculture: Mulberries can be part of agroforestry systems, providing benefits such as soil improvement and diversified income streams for farmers. In permaculture practices, mulberry trees may be integrated into systems that promote sustainability and biodiversity.

Potential for Value-Added Products: Beyond tea, mulberry leaves and fruits can be used in various value-added products. This could include jams, jellies, syrups, or even dietary supplements, contributing to the development of a local industry.

While the cultural and economic significance of mulberry in Hawaii may not be as prominent as in some other regions, efforts to explore and promote its various uses can contribute to the overall sustainability and resilience of local ecosystems and economies.

Lāʻau Lapaʻau: Five Important Medicinal Hawaiian Plants

Big Island Pulse

1.) NONI (MORINDA CITRIFOLIA)
As far as medicinal Hawaiian plants go, this one is iconic. Known as Indian mulberry, beach mulberry, and cheese fruit, the noni plant is a fruit-bearing tree that is hardy enough to survive near beaches, on lava rock, and through drought, which makes it perfectly at home in the many different climates of the Big Island. Noni is known for its fruit, which are produced year round—the noni berry. It’s potato-sized, off-white, oblong, and its foremost feature is its incredibly strong smell that many liken to the fragrance of strong cheese or rot. Despite the odor, this was a very important medicinal plant for Hawaiians, who brought this plant on their voyage from the South Pacific. Noni has been used for millennia as a tonic for gastrointestinal ailments and it is also claimed to alleviate arthritic joint pain, improve skin quality, prevent cancer, reduce stress, boost immunity, and treat fever.

2.) KĪ (CORDYLINE FRUTICOSA)
Also known as ti leaf, in the world of medicinal Hawaiian plants, this is the “good luck” plant. Ti leaf is one of the most prosperous plants growing on Hawaiʻi Island—almost everyone has at least one or two growing in their yard. This hardy plant was brought over via canoe for its multitude of handy uses. Its leaves were used for utilitarian purposes; to make skirts, thatch roofs, and to wrap and store food. Kī is also used for a number of medicinal and spiritual purposes. The plant itself is believed to ward off spirits, and was traditionally used in ceremonies. While parts of the root and shoots can be turned into a tea to drink, the leaves itself are used to alleviate fever. An inflicted person would lie on a cool bed of ti leaves, which are said to draw out the heat.

3.) ʻAWA (PIPER METHYSTICUM)
Also known as kava or kava-kava, the ʻawa plant is part of the pepper family. It was brought to Hawaiʻi by Polynesian voyagers, and kava drinking has been part of prestigious ceremonial occasions since ancient times throughout the South Pacific. There are approximately 13 unique varieties now found in Hawaiʻi. Some of the most popular strains are Mahakea and Mo’i, which were considered so sacred in pre-colonial times that no one but royalty, or Aliʻi, could ever experiece them. Another variety, Hiwa, was offered to hula deities in return for knowledge and inspiration.
Different parts of the ʻawa plant can be used to treat a myriad of ailments, although it is the root which makes it well known. The root is ground up and strained into a juice, which is consumed for its relaxing effect. Traditionally it was used to treat anxiety, stress, and to relax muscles, but it has more recently become popular as a social drink. Supposedly, this calming effect can be appreciated without intoxication, and allows for inner peace while socializing making it a go-to among medicinal Hawaiian plants.

4.) ʻŌLENA (CURCUMA DOMESTICA)
ʻŌlena, also known as turmeric, has, for centuries, been used around the world for its medicinal qualities. It was widely used throughout Polynesia as well. ʻŌlena is part of the ginger family, and grows best in rainy jungles and forests. This plant’s rhizome, or thick rootstock, was used as the base of a juice to cure sinus ailments and inflammation. The bright goldenrod root was also used as a dye for traditional kapa cloth; and part of its name comes from the Hawaiian word for yellow, or lena. Becareful! These medicinal Hawaiian plants can stain your fingers and countertops.

5.) MĀMAKI (PIPTURUS ALBIDUS)
Māmaki is a plant that’s indigenous to Hawaiʻi—meaning that it can be found nowhere else on Earth. These medicinal Hawaiian plants are a member of the nettle family, and grow as trees, which offered Ancient Hawaiians valuable construction materials like wood and fiber for rope. Its small fruit were used in a salve to treat cuts and injuries, and the bark was believed to hold special power. Today, it is the leaves of the māmaki that are still used to make a refreshing drink with enjoyable fragrance. Fresh leaves are picked and dried, and processed into an “invigorating” tea, which is said to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and cleanse toxins from the blood.

Growing Mulberry

Why grow mulberries?
by Mark Travis

“Of all fruits cultivated in America, I think that none have so meagre a literature as the mulberries.”

L.H. Bailey, Cornell University Agriculture Experiment Station, 1892

I am assuming you stumbled upon this website because you are interested in growing mulberries. Hopefully, this website will help guide you to the proper selection, planting, and care of the mulberry that is a perfect match for you.

Why grow mulberries?

Mulberries are one of the easiest fruit trees to grow, requiring little, if any, fertilization or chemicals. They are generally very fast growing, with many cultivars producing fruit the very next year after planting. Unlike most berry plants (its fruit is actually fleshy multiples of drupes), it is easy to harvest large quantities of fruit with little effort; even in spite of all the birds and animals that enjoy its bounty, there will still be plenty left for you. Gardening gurus John Kohler and David Goodman list mulberries as one of the top picks for fruit trees.

John Kohler, in his YouTube video “How to Harvest Ripe Mulberries out of a Mulberry Tree”, exclaims after tasting a freshly picked Morus nigra mulberry,

“It’s like an orgasm in your mouth!”.
If you live in the Contiguous US (plus Hawaii), there will be at least a couple of cultivars from which to choose.
Planting a tree is a chance to immortalize yourself.

Mulberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamin-C, and iron, but relatively low in calories, containing just 43 per 100-gram serving. Mulberry leaf helps stabilize blood sugar in treating type 2 diabetes, and appears to be effective for weight loss and lowering cholesterol. It is also claimed that mulberries can help with premature graying.

From NaturalNews.com

  • Mulberries are a terrific low-carbohydrate choice, sporting lower levels of sugar than other popular dried fruits – by about half.
  • Need more fiber in your diet? Mulberries provide an impressive 20 percent of your daily requirement in only 1/3 of a cup.
  • The berries are also a good source of protein, with 4 grams per serving.
  • Research has shown that extracts of white mulberry inhibit both hepatitis C as well as HIV.
  • Due to notable levels of resveratrol, the berries possess anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Those concerned about Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s can rest easy. Studies indicate that mulberries offer significant neuroprotective benefits.
  • Brimming with anthocyanins, mulberries ward off bacterial and viral infections, inflammation, cancer and diabetes. The fruit also shields against the effects of aging.
  • Watching your weight? Water extracts of the berry have slimming anti-obesity attributes.
  • Blood sugar levels are tamed with mulberry too. Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) is a potent glucosidase inhibitor found in mulberry leaves. Scientists believe DNJ markedly minimizes the risk of diabetes mellitus.

Peter Coles had this to say about his meeting with the Charlton House mulberry tree in east London:​

“The encounter with a 400 year-old living organism can’t be taken lightly. It’s a bit like looking at a Rembrandt painting. You can’t just turn up, say “wow!”, take a photo, and walk on. A tree like this ideally deserves the patient eye of the artist, or the unencumbered eye of the contemplative. But I can’t draw – or at least not trees ­and my mind that day was cluttered with a thousand thoughts. The least I could do was let the tree teach me something about time, which it has stored up in abundance. And that meant staying a while.”

Peter Coles is a writer, photographer, and developer of an outstanding British website that supports the “Morus Londinium” project “to record and research London’s mulberry trees to raise public awareness and protect them.”
(http://www.moruslondinium.org/)

Broussonetia papyrifera: Paper Chase

Eat the Weeds
by DEANE

If you are a forager, you will be told two things constantly: One is that the plant of your admiration is “poisonous.” Sometimes they are, often they are not. The other thing you will hear is that a particular species is a “trash tree.”

When I first asked about this species I was told by a knowledgeable botanist that it was a trash tree though at the time he did not know what species it was. Over the years I wondered about its identity. It resembled a basswood tree but wasn’t one. It was certainly prolific, growing in hursts everywhere, often in low spots or gullies and ditches. I watched it for several years but it never seemed to fruit. While it did form colonies I also saw an isolated tree now and then. I presumed it could either fruit or reproduce by cuttings and the like. In hindsight, compounding the issue is that a young tree’s leaves look very different than a mature tree’s leaves. Indeed, it was a lone young tree near a bike trail that got me on the track of solving the identity of my mystery tree.

What I discovered was that while it might be an invasive species it is far from a “trash tree.” Also know as the Paper Mulberry, the Broussonetia papyrifera (brew-soh-NEE-she-uh pap-ih-RIFF-er-uh) has been used for thousands of years to make paper and cloth. Young leaves are edible cooked — chewy — and in the right climate it produces orange pom-pom-like fruit. The tree, with extra large leaves, soft on one side, rough on the other, is also a common source of woodland toilet paper.

Native to the cooler regions of Asia they were taken to the Pacific Islands for paper and cloth. Someone had the bright idea of taking only sterile male clones to control their proliferation plus the male trees produce the better bark for cloth and paper. However, they can clone themselves by runners. Big mistake. The Paper Mulberry was in Florida by 1903 with someone also introducing female trees as well. With males and females being able to clone plus seeds from the female the species went gangbusters.

Two things compounded my identification and appreciation of the Paper Mulberry. The first, already mentioned, is that the leaves of the young Paper Mulberry look very different than the adult. They are palmate and very indented, resembling an ornamental, Chinese pitchfork. Older leaves are very large mittens with one or two lobes looking like left or right thumbs, double thumbs or no thumbs. The second issue was the species is from a temperate climate. Florida is not temperate. In my sub-temperate area they never fruit. Eighty miles north of here they do fruit but in years of watching they’ve never fruited locally (They might, however, if we have an exceptionally cold winter producing the necessary chill hours.) It took tid bits of observations over many years to finally sort out the species’ identity.

To call the fruit an orange pom-pom is actually quite accurate. It starts out as a green ball about the size of a large marble on the end of a two-inch stem. The ball is pitted much like a Bread Fruit, which it is related to, and the Osage Orange. Then the ball grows white hairs which eventually make the orange pom-pom part, which is edible. The ball is not edible as far as I know. The fruit is sweet, juicy and fragile. It does not travel well and is best eaten on the spot. Fruiting starts around April and ends by the end of June. Young leave for food are steamed though they do have a texture issue. You can also chop them up and boil them as well. The larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking.

At one time the Paper Mulberry was grouped with other mulberries, and is closely related, but was given its own genus Broussonetia named after Pierre Maria August Broussonet (1761-1807) a professor of botany at Montpelier, France. In the US the tree can be found From Massachusetts south to Florida, west to Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile

IDENTIFICATION: Paper mulberry is deciduous with milky sap to 45 ft. (15 m.). Twigs hairy reddish brown, on young trees zebra stripped, older trees tan, smooth, furrowed. Wood is soft and brittle. Leaves are hairy, lobed or mitten-shaped, alternate, opposite or whorled along stem. Leaf edge sharply toothed, base heart-shaped to rounded with pointed tips, upper leaf surface is rough feeling. Separate male and female flowers in spring. Male flower clusters are elongate, pendulous, 2 ½ to 3 in. Female flowers globular about one inch in diameter. Fruits orange to reddish purple.

TIME OF YEAR: In Florida April to June, summer in northern areas, February to April in warmer climates.

ENVIRONMENT: Open sunny fields but also low areas such as ditched and gullies. Grows very fast and can be fruiting within 18 months.

METHOD OF PREPARATION: Fruit out of hand (orange parts only.) Young leaves steamed or boiled. Bark can be used to make paper and cloth (tapa). The fruit (grown in Thailand) is very high in calcium, potassium and magnesium. It also has trace amounts of arsenic (0.62 ppm) as many foods do. Deer like to nibble on the leaves.

Paper mulberry ( Broussonetia papyrifera ) as a commensal model for human mobility in Oceania: anthropological, botanical and genetic considerations

Academia
By Seelenfreund, D. , Clarke, AC , Oyanedel, N. , Piña, R. , Lobos, S. , Matisoo-Smith, EA and Seelenfreund, A.

Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent.) was one of the most widely distributed crop species in prehistoric Oceania, occurring from continental East Asia to the Polynesian islands. Its broad distribution is largely due to human-mediated dispersal during colonization of the islands of Near and Remote Oceania. We explore the potential for analyses of genetic variation in paper mulberry and the value of such data for the development of a new commensal model species for reconstructing patterns of human mobility in Oceania. We introduce and discuss paper mulberry as another commensal species and outline key features for its contribution to the understanding of human migration and post-colonization interaction. Here, we describe some of the extant B. papyrifera populations in Remote Oceania and Taiwan that were sampled for initial studies. We argue that the unique characteristics of this species and its importance in ancient Pacific island societies may provide the opportunity to collect valuable genetic data with which we can address several key questions in Pacific prehistory.

Mulberry trees offer beauty and delicious fruit

by Diana Duff
Special To West Hawaii Today

Sunday, January 2, 2011 7:40 AM HST
Do you remember the nursery rhyme, “Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush so early in the morning?”

That little ditty was popular around 1840, when mulberry trees were gaining popularity in Europe and on the U.S. mainland but had only recently been introduced to Hawaii. Sometime in the early 1800s, a black-fruited cultivar of Morus alba known as “nigrobacca” was introduced to the islands for landscape use. Today, the trees are known here as lovely, drought tolerant plants that produce edible, tasty berries.

The genus Morus is in the Moraceae family and includes about 15 botanically separate species, all known as mulberries. The classification is complicated with numerous cultivars and varieties that have resulted from widespread hybridization of the species. All are deciduous trees that are native to warm and subtropical regions, mostly in Asia.

Mulberry trees were cultivated for several thousand years in their native China as food for silkworms. The worms, whose cocoons produce silky thread, are very host- specific. Today, billions of pounds of mulberry leaves are consumed by silkworms throughout the world in the annual production of the more than 70 million pounds of silk. To date, silkworms are not known to exist in Hawaii, however.

Many attractive features beyond silk making have made mulberry trees popular. The leaves are large, dark green and broadly oval with serrated margins. Some varieties and younger trees also produce attractive leaves with two or three lobes. The spreading branches and distinctively furrowed bark of the tree add to its appeal. Although some varieties can grow to 40 feet over time, they remain small for many years and can be easily maintained with judicious pruning. The trees can grow in a variety of soil conditions and prefer full sun. Once established, they have limited water requirements and require little care beyond picking the delicious fruit.

As new mulberry leaves develop, usually in mid-spring, tiny male and female flowers appear on slender, inconspicuous spikes. The pendulous catkins grow at the axils of the current season’s growth and on spurs of older wood. They are mostly wind-pollinated, though some cultivars will set fruit without pollination.

Morus alba is known in the botanical community for the rapidity with which its flowers fire pollen into the air by rapidly releasing stored elastic energy in the stamens. It is the fastest known movement in the plant kingdom, in excess of half the speed of sound.

Mulberries are an aggregate fruit, composed of lots of berries, each with its own seed, stuck together in a long cylinder hanging from a short, slender fruit stalk. Some varieties produce clusters over an inch long. The fruit is usually white or green when immature, becoming red and finally turning dark purple to black with a sweet flavor when fully ripe. Unlike other fruit and berries, mulberries ripen over an extended period of time.

When you see fruit dropping or birds congregating, it’s time to harvest. Gathering the ripe fruit helps limit any invasive possibilities the birds might cause. Place a drop cloth under the tree and shake the limbs. Individual picking may be necessary with some varieties but should be done while wearing gloves and an apron because the berries have a red juice that stains hands and clothing. With this in mind, trees should be planted away from homes, sidewalks and driveways to prevent stains to cement or by having the berries tracked into the house on shoes.

Unwashed berries will keep several days in a refrigerator in a covered container or can be frozen for later use. They can be eaten out of hand or used in muffins, pies, tarts, puddings or sauces. Mulberries also make good wine and are excellent dried.

The mature plant, especially the bark, contains significant amounts of resveratrol, known for cancer prevention and longevity. All parts of the plant are marketed in various forms as nutritional supplements. The white sap in the unripe fruit and green parts of the plant is said to be intoxicating and mildly hallucinogenic.

Mulberries can be grown from seed, although seedlings can take up to 10 years to bear.

For this reason, mulberries are most often propagated from cuttings from producing trees. Placed in a rooting compound of half vermiculite and half perlite, the cuttings should root quickly. Once roots are established and new growth is happening, they are ready to plant out.

Mulberry trees are easy to prune to maintain size and shape but overaggressive pruning can be harmful. The trees can be kept compact by allowing a set of main branches to develop and then pruning laterals to six leaves midsummer so that spurs will develop near the main branches. It is not advisable to prune the trees heavily since the plant is inclined to bleed at the cuts. Cuts of more than 2 inches in diameter generally do not heal and should be avoided at all cost.

Mulberries are generally free of pests and disease, although cankers and dieback can occur and “popcorn disease” is an occasional problem. If fruits swell to resemble popped corn, collecting and burning infected fruits is advised.

Mulberry trees need little nutritional additions. Maintaining healthy mulch is usually enough but, if trees seem deficient, an annual addition of a balanced fertilizer can help.

If you want to plant your own mulberry trees you might want to try calling local nurseries like Aikane in Hawi who order and stock mulberry trees regularly. Once you have a tree or can find another grower who has some you can take cuttings from and produce new plants easily. Ask farmers at the Keauhou Farmers Market on Saturday. Many of them grow mulberries for their own use or to make jams and might be willing to sell you some cuttings.

Duff is a plant adviser, consultant and an organic farmer living in Captain Cook.

West Hawaii Today – Features > Mulberry trees offer beauty and delicious fruit

Paper mulberry ( Broussonetia papyrifera ) as a commensal model for human mobility in Oceania: anthropological, botanical and genetic considerations

Academia
By Andrea Seelenfreund –

Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent.) was one of the most widely distributed cropspecies in prehistoric Oceania, occurring from continental East Asia to the Polynesian islands. Its broad distribution is largely due to human-mediated dispersal during colonization of the islands of Near and Remote Oceania. We explore the potential for analyses of genetic variation in paper mulberry and the value of such data for the development of a new commensal model species for reconstructing patterns of human mobility in Oceania. We introduce and discuss paper mulberry as another commensal species and outline key features for its contribution to the understandingof human migration and post-colonization interaction. Here, we describe some of the extant B. papyrifera populations in Remote Oceania and Taiwan that were sampled for initial studies. We argue that the unique characteristics of this species and its importance in ancient Pacific island societies may provide the opportunity to collect valuable genetic data with which we cana ddress several key questions in Pacific prehistory.

Autograph trees are invading Hawaii’s forests


by Diana Duff

Many gardeners in Hawaii have become native plant enthusiasts. More and more people are awakening to the beauty of our native species and learning about them and the vigilance required to save them from harm or eventual extinction. Events like Arbor Day at Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, offering free native plants and information on growing them, help folks learn ways to grow and care for native plants. Interest in these plants, which have thrived in our native forests for millennia, helps raise awareness of the threats a multitude of invasive species pose to them.

One particularly threatening species, the autograph, or signature, tree (Clusia rosea) caught the notice of Darcy Ames, who has witnessed firsthand the encroachment of this species on the ohia forests near her home.

“When I first bought property in Holualoa, I thought the autograph tree was quite lovely,” Ames said. “After a few years of experience, inspection and investigation, I began to realize this tree was capable of destroying the habitat of our ohia and other native species unless we began a proactive course against it.

“After witnessing the damage it can cause, I can honestly say that I hate what this plant is capable of doing. Autograph seeds can be dropped by birds and root as much as 20 or 30 feet in the air in the crotch of an ohia tree.

Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) as a commensal model for human mobility in Oceania: anthropological, botanical and genetic considerations

Academia
By Lisa Matisoo-Smith, Andrew Clarke, Andrea Seelenfreund

Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent.) was one of the most widely distributed crop species in prehistoric Oceania, occurring from continental East Asia to the Polynesian islands. Its broad distribution is largely due to human-mediated dispersal during colonization of the islands of Near and Remote Oceania. We explore the potential for analyses of genetic variation in paper mulberry and the value of such data for the development of a new commensal model species for reconstructing patterns of human mobility in Oceania. We introduce and discuss paper mulberry as another commensal species and outline key features for its contribution to the understanding of human migration and post-colonization interaction. Here, we describe some of the extant
B. papyrifera populations in Remote Oceania and Taiwan that were sampled for initial studies. We argue that the unique characteristics of this species and its importance in ancient Pacific island societies may provide the opportunity to collect valuable genetic data with which we can address several key questions in Pacific prehistory.