White mulberry is a moderately fast-growing, deciduous shrub or tree growing 20 - 35 metres tall. It has a fairly cylindrical, straight bole up to 50cm in diameter and free of buttresses.The tree has a wide range of uses, being valued especially for its edible fruit and medicinal uses. It is cultivated in home gardens for its edible fruit, there are a number of varieties. It is also often grown as an ornamental.White mulberry trees (Morus alba) are native to China. They were originally brought to North America for silk production. White mulberry trees are the preferred food source of silkworms, so these trees were thought to be essential in producing silk outside of China. However, the bottom fell out of the silk industry in the United States before it even started. Startup costs proved much too high and the few fields of these mulberry trees were abandoned.