Twigs: Slender, yellowish, smooth or sometimes hairy, more or less zigzag; leaf scars alternate, half-round, elevated, with numerous bundle traces.
Buds: Pointed, reddish-brown, smooth, about ⅙ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, short-pointed at the tip, rounded or cut straight across at the base, up to 5 inches long and nearly as broad, coarsely round-toothed, sometimes 2-lobed, sometimes 3-lobed, sometimes deeply several-lobed, sometimes unlobed, green and smooth to the touch on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface, except for a few hairs sometimes on the veins; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, smooth.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne separately, either on the same tree or on different trees, appearing as the leaves unfold, the staminate crowded into narrow green clusters up to 2 inches long, the pistillate crowded into short, thick spikes up to 1 inch long.
Fruit: A cluster of tiny drupes up to 1¼ inches long, white or pinkish, more rarely red or purple, sweet, juicy.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, coarse-grained, orange-brown.
Uses: Fence posts; the fruit is edible.
Habitat: Woods, along roads, in disturbed areas.
Range: Native of Asia; naturalized from Maine to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to Georgia.
Distinguishing Features: The White Mulberry lacks hairs on the lower surface of the leaves (except sometimes along the veins), thus differing from the Red Mulberry.