Paper Mulberry

1. Paper Mulberry
Rohina Tabassam
By

2. Paper Mulberry Cont.
 The paper mulberry is a species of flowering plant
 It was introduced to India in 1880 at Saharanpur and 1924 it had spread
to Lahore along irrigation channels (Parker, 1956).
 n Pakistan, paper mulberry was intentionally introduced to make the
Islamabad and Rawalpindi area green
 But in less than 30 years it not only became highly invasive in the
natural vegetation but also caused health problems in the human
population

3. Paper Mulberry
 It has been successfully planted in some European countries (Italy,
Slovenia, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain) and in the USA
 It has been under trial in Tonga, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Zimbabwe
and the subtropical Lake zone of Uganda (Coiutti, 1993).
 t has also been introduced in Russia, West Asia, Tropical Africa, Polynesia,
the Philippines and many other countries as a venue tree (Abdul Ghafoor,
1985).

4. Paper Mulberry
 Scientific Name: Broussonetia papyrifera
 Family : Broussonetia
 Native Range: Japan, China, East Asia
 Height: 40.00 to 50.00 feet
 Spread: 30.00 to 40.00 feet
 Bloom Time: April to May
 Bloom Description: Pale green
 Water: Medium
 Maintenance: Medium
 Tolerate: Drought

5. Ecological description Cont.
 This species is a deciduous shrub or tree and leaves are variable in
shape, even on one individual.
 The blades may be lobed or unlobed, but they usually have toothed
edges, lightly hairy, pale undersides, and a rough texture
 The male (staminate) flowers are produced in an oblong inflorescence,
and the female (pistillate) flowers in a globular inflorescence

6. Ecological description
 Easily grown in fertile, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade
and wide variety of soils.
 Tolerates heat, humidity, drought and urban pollution
 This is a weedy, fast-growing tree or large shrub that spreads by root
suckers or self-seeding, and is dispersed by birds, bats and mammals

7. Environmental Requirements
 Paper Mulberry is native to East Asia with its warm and humid climate
 Temperature range of 0-40°C and with an annual rainfall of up to 2500
mm (Sheikh, 1993)
 It can withstand temperatures down to at least -5°C.
 It prefers a sub-humid warm, sub-tropical monsoon climate
 The tree is remarkable for the variety of climates in which it can be
grown, being hardy enough to survive in Europe.
 It prefers sandy loams and light soils

8. Benefit’s / Uses Cont.
 This plant has been cultivated (Asia and some Pacific Islands) for
many centuries for food, fiber, and medicine.
 for example, the bark and fruit of the species, known locally as
jangli toot, are used as a antipyretic in rural Pakistan
 The leaves are also having properties to increase reduced blood
cells
 It was used for papermaking in China by around 100 AD
 It was used to make washi in Japan by 600 AD. Washi, a Japanese
handcrafted paper, is made with the inner bark

9. Benefit’s / Uses
 in some situations, its ability to colonies degraded lands
may make it suitable for reforestation programmes
 It tolerates air pollution, making it suitable for planting
along roadsides and in urban settings
 It is also grown as an ornamental in parks and gardens.
 In China the leaves are fed to silk-worms.
 It was the main material for clothing in places such as Fiji,
Tonga, Samoa and Tahiti until recent times,
 It also used for various items of clothing (sarongs, scarves
hats, bags)

10. Impacts (Biological, Environmental, Social)
 This is considered to be one of the worst weeds in Pakistan
 In Pakistan, limits the growth of the native flora (Dalbergia
sissoo, Morus alba) and fauna
 The thickness have also become refuges for wild boar and other
mammals
 Enhanced the build up of the crow population
 chokes out native flora because of its very high consumption of
water

11. Impacts (Biological, Environmental, Social)
Cont.
 Also slowing the flow of water in channels and suppressing the
growth of other plants.
 The huge canopy of the tree covering the outsized area which
creates competition for light, space and water
 The pollen of this is allergenic
 It is responsible for one of the highest pollen counts in
Islamabad, Pakistan, which causes serious allergies resulting in
deaths every year.

12. Impacts (Biological, Environmental, Social)
 During 1995, the Pakistan Medical Research Council found more
than 45% of the allergic patients in Islamabad and Rawalpindi
 The specific variety should not be taken to other areas without
extreme caution
 According to the Central Development Authorities of Islamabad,
Pakistan, the total expenditure on manual removal of this and
other weeds is more than US$500,000 per year.

13. Invasiveness
 Highly invasive species, becoming weedy and difficult to remove
after its introduction
 Its timber does not have high commercial value
 Due to its excessive growth, it has become an agent of change in
the whole ecosystem affecting
 Native flora
 Human beings
 And causing economic losses.

14. Management/Conservation
 Not known to be threatened; it has become an invasive weed in
some areas
 The best form of invasive species management is prevention.
 If prevention is no longer possible, it is best to treat the weed
infestations when they are small to prevent them from
establishing (early detection and rapid response).
 Controlling the weed before it seeds will reduce future problems