Native mulberry
Pipturus argenteus, Fam. Urticaceae
A shrub or small tree to 6m high.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Shrub, Small tree |
| Family: | Urticaceae |
| Leaf: | Simple Alternate Ovate or eliptic, broadly lance-shaped, 8-13 cm long, margins finely and bluntly toothed, soft, lower surface whitish with hairs. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Inconspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
White, Cream, Green |
| Flower description: | Green, white or cream, dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants). |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Inconspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
White |
| Fruit: | Fleshy |
| Fruit description: | Whitish, fleshy, mulberry-like. Actually, an achene, clustered at nodes to form a globose multiple fruit, 4-6mm diameter. January and June. |
| Habitat: | Open forest, vine thicket, woodland. |
| Distribution | Found in a variety of forests including rainforest and riparian areas. Found from Lismore NSW to the Torres Strait Islands. |
| Food source for: | Fruit are eaten by many birds and are a food plant for the white nymph butterfly. |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia |
| Notes: | Common especially in regrowth after clearing. Very good plant for revegetation and fainforest gardens as it is fast growing, hardy and brings in many birds. |
| Information sources: | C. Peterson, pers. comm., Harden G.J. et al. (2006) Rainforest Trees and Shrubs: a field guide to their identification. |
