One of the most asked about trees in our garden is the Indochina native, Broussonetia papyrifera. Flowering paper mulberry has long been an important tree in tropical Asia, both for its edible fruit, and bark, which is used to make a fiber, known as tapa cloth. It also has tremendous medical use as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. It has been used for years to treat respiratory infections, rheumatism, and has been recently discovered to protect the liver, and lower blood sugar.
In the garden, I’ve always found it a bit frightening, due to its propensity to root sucker everywhere the roots are damaged. I was persuaded to add it to our collection, when I first saw the amazing clone, Broussonetia ‘Golden Shadow’. Even then, we planted it in our parking lot, where the root suckers can be kept at bay by our riding mower. This amazing form was spotted by Garden Treasures founder, Pat McCracken in the 1970s, growing in a yard near his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. The owner shared cuttings, which Pat subsequently shared with local nurseryman, Don Shadow, for whom the plant was later named. For us, the leaf color emerges bright gold, and retains the color all during the growing season. In our 22 years of growing this, we have yet to see a fruit.
