Wholesale deciduous

Persian mulberry

Morus nigra ‘Persian’

A compact black mulberry prized for intensely flavored dark fruit and a manageable shrubby form compared with larger shade mulberries.

EdibleRich flavorCompactDark fruit

Program price · bare-root tree$30Bare-root · final caliper confirmed before fulfillment

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Landscape layersLower canopy

Mature size

Often 6–10 ft as a broad shrub or small tree

Climate fit

Urban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b · High desert · USDA 6a–8b

Special categories

EDIBLE

Hardiness guidance

Varies by species and cultivar; match both winter lows and local chill accumulation

Winter chill

Low chill

Typical harvest

Late spring into early summer

Before you plant

These conditions determine whether it will thrive.

Cold hardiness

Hardy here

Black mulberry is the least hardy mulberry, rated to USDA zone 7, about 0°F. That is still far below Phoenix lows.

Heat tolerance

Shade from late-afternoon sun

A dense, broad-leaved tree that shades its own trunk well. Fruit ripens in early summer. It does best with afternoon relief on the hottest sites. This note is at the species level.

Sources:

davewilson.com

Right plant, right place

Will Persian mulberry grow at your Arizona property?

The low desert usually supplies roughly 300–400 chill hours, and in a warm winter less. Choose varieties needing 300 hours or fewer there; colder Arizona elevations can support higher-chill choices.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b, High desert · USDA 6a–8b.

Light

Sun exposure

Full sun with strong air circulation; protect young bark from western sun

Water

Irrigation

Deep irrigation through the root zone; frequency rises during establishment and fruit swell

Fruit set

Pollination

Self-fruitful on named fruiting selections

Harvest

How to use it

Premium fresh eating, preserves, and desserts

Planting & stewardship

How to help Persian mulberry thrive

1
Choose a rootstock suited to the site’s soil, drainage, salinity, desired size, and pest pressures.
2
Plant bare-root trees while dormant, keeping the graft union above finished grade.
3
Thin developing fruit early enough to improve size and reduce limb breakage.
4
Use dormant and summer pruning intentionally to balance shade, access, vigor, and next year’s fruiting wood.

Read the horticultural reference ↗