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Morus alba (Moraceae)

This 500 years-old mulberry is probably one of the very first specimens imported to Tuscany for silkworm breeding by Lorenzo the Magnificent. In Europe, the first mulberry trees were imported about 600 years ago.

This white mulberry is owned by Mr Bellini who recently had the large cavity inside the trunk (circumference of 17.7 ft) thoroughly cleaned. Pottery, bottles, cutlery were, in fact, just some of the items left inside the tree by several generations of farmers.

How to get there:

Go past the village of Lastra a Signa (FI) and follow via Delle Selve; the monumental tree is on this street at no. 26, inside a private property. Permission to see the magnificent specimen has to be requested to the owners, the Bellini family.

Botanical Card

Originally from China, Mulberry arrived in Europe in very ancient times, while in Italy (Sicily) it was imported for the first time in 1130, Roger II.

This tree grown in rows especially in the Po River Valley and was used feed silkworms during the XIX century: back then, when Italy, along with China and Japan, was one of the best silk production countries.

This species prefers fresh, deep, permeable soils with no clay, nor stagnant water.

The white mulberry grows particularly at altitudes up to 2.296 ft.

Its leaves and roots can be used for medicinal purposes, while the sugary fruits are used for jams and syrups, although they cannot be sold as fresh fruits since they are incredibly perishable, even to a simple touch.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)