Morus australis (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Morus australis Poir.

Protologue: Lamk, Encycl. 4: 380 (1797).

Synonyms

• Morus acidosa Griffith (1854),
• Morus cavaleriei H. Lév. (1911),
• Morus inusitata H. Lév. (1914).

Vernacular names

• Korean mulberry (En).
• Mûrier (Fr)
• Vietnam:dậu tằm, dậu tàu, dâu ta.

Distribution

Originally from China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan; cultivated in Indo-China, the Philippines and Java, occasionally naturalized.

Uses

In Java M. australis is used to feed silkworms; medicinal applications are mainly reported from its native region. In Vietnam a decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of coughs and colds, and insomnia. A decoction of the root-bark is used against asthma, rheumatism and oliguria.

Observations

• A large shrub or small tree up to 10 m tall.
• Leaves ovate to broadly ovate, 5-20 cm × 3-12 cm, rounded to shallowly cordate at base, long acuminate at apex, nearly glabrous to soft-hairy below, with a 1-4 cm long petiole.
• Male spikes 1.5-3 cm long, female spikes erect or patent, broadly oblong, 1-2 cm long.
• Syncarp oblong to ellipsoid, 1.5-3.5 cm long.

In its natural habitats, M. australis is fairly common at low and moderate altitudes.

Selected sources

• [97] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• [364] Doan Thi Nhu, Do Huy Bich, Pham Kim Man, Nguyen Thuong Thuc, Bui Xuan Chuong & Pham Duy Mai (Editors), 1993. Les plants médicinales au Vietnam. Livre 2. Médicine traditionelle et pharmacopée [The medicinal plants of Vietnam. Volume 2. Traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia]. Agence de coopération Culturelle et Technique, Paris, France. 189 pp.
• [753] Ko, H.H., Yu, S.M., Fo, F.N., Teng, C.M. & Lin, C.N., 1997. Bioactive constituents of Morus australis and Broussonetia papyrifera. Journal of Natural Products 60(10): 1008-1011.
• [856] Liao, J.-C., 1996. Moraceae. In: Huang, T.-C. (Editor): Flora of Taiwan. 2nd Edition. Vol. 2. Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. pp. 136-195.
• [900] Mansfeld, R., 1986. Verzeichnis landwirtschaflicher und gaertnerischer Kulturpflanzen (ohne Zierpflanzen) [Register of agricultural and horticultural plants (withouth ornamentals)]. 2nd Edition, revised by J. Schultze-Motel. 4 volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. 1998 pp.
• [1126] Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
• [1252] Rohwer, J.G., 1993. Moraceae. In: Kubitzki, K., Rohwer, J.G. & Bittrich, V. (Editors): The families and genera of vascular plants. Volume 2. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. p. 438-453.
• [1276] Samsijah, 1986. Jenis daun murbei dan ras ulat yang cocok untuk pengembangan persutraan alam di Payakumbuh, Sumatra Barat [Leaves of mulberry species and silkworm races suitable for the development of the silk industry in the Payakumbuh a

Main genus page

• Morus (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• D.S. Alonzo