White Mulberry Leaves (Morus alba)
Overview
White Mulberry (Morus alba) are fast-growing small to medium-sized trees that can grow up to 33 - 66 ft. tall. Mulberry trees have a short life span that ranges between 25 - 50 years.
White Mulberry is Native to China and is widely cultivated worldwide in countries like Mexico, United States, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Turkey, Argentina, India, Iran, and North America.
Characteristics
White Mulberry leaves can grow up to 12 inches long when the trees are younger, and as they get older, their leaves grow with an average size of 2 to 6 inches.
Male and Female flowers generally grow on separate trees. But there are cases that they can both be seen on the same tree.
Cultivation
White Mulberries are deciduous trees cultivated to nourish silkworms, and studies show that they began 4,700 years ago and have been introduced to other countries. The Ancient Romans and Greeks started growing mulberry for silkworms Wayback 220 AD.
Nowadays, Morus Alba plays a vital role in the silk industry and travels across the globe to be cultivated and naturalized.
Aquarium Benefits
White Mulberry Leaves are an excellent natural food source for shrimps. It is high in fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. In addition, it helps shrimp to maintain their exoskeleton and gives aid to their molting process.
How to use
- All of our leaves are freshly picked. Before using it, wash the leaves in cold running water. Make sure that you get rid of all the dirt.
- Boil a big bowl of water and blanch the leaves until they turned into bright yellow.
- Drain the water and transfer the leaves into your tank. You will notice that the leaves will sink to the bottom.
- After few days, Your shrimps will start eating them.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are mulberry leaves safe? - It has been known for thousands of years that mulberry leaves are safe for humans and animals
What are the benefits of white mulberry leaves? - They are commonly used for medicinal purposes. For example, it helps to stabilize cholesterol levels, diabetes, high blood pressure, common colds. And many more.
Is white mulberry poisonous? - It has a white to pink color and sometimes can be pinkish-violet. Unripe berries are poisonous because of latex, A chemical known to be toxic to humans. On the other hand, ripe mulberry fruits are a delight that you'll surely enjoy. Their regular harvesting season is in spring.
What does it mean by freshly picked? These leaves were freshly picked from our tree and sun dried. Mulberry Trees are seasonal and they loose there leaves during the winter months and come back during the Spring and Summer periods.
