Morus platanifolia
With its deeply cut, multi-lobed leaves resembling those of a maple or plane tree, Plane-leaf Mulberry stands radically apart from its round-leaved relatives — and produces edible mulberries to boot.
What makes it unique. Morus platanifolia is distinguished from other mulberries by the exceptional shape of its foliage: broad leaves cut into 3 to 5 deep lobes, evoking a plane tree or large-leaved maple. This characteristic gives it its name and a silhouette immediately recognisable, quite distinct from White Mulberry (Morus alba) already present in this encyclopaedia. In bonsai, this sculpted foliage creates a visually rich texture, reducible through cultivation to proportions consistent with a medium-sized pot. The vigour of the species is remarkable — the trunk thickens rapidly, the ramification responds well to repeated pruning, and back-budding on old wood is among the best in the entire collection. The sap, milky at pruning cuts, is characteristic of the genus Morus. The light grey to beige bark develops a network of highly attractive fissures with age.
Botanical note. Morus platanifolia is a cultivated form with deeply lobed leaves, generally classified under Morus alba or Morus bombycis depending on the system — not a strictly autonomous botanical species. What is consistent, however, is its bonsai culture: a species in its own right in collections, valued specifically for its leaf form, distinct from other mulberries by this single morphological criterion.
Origin. Plane-leaf Mulberry is a selected cultivated form from eastern Asia — China, Korea, Japan — in regions where mulberry trees have been cultivated for millennia for silkworm rearing. Morus platanifolia was selected and maintained for its ornamental qualities rather than its silk-production value. In bonsai, it is appreciated in north-east Asia and is beginning to spread in Europe among collectors seeking original foliage on fast-growing species.
A vigorous and accessible bonsai. Plane-leaf Mulberry is one of the species most responsive to pruning in the entire collection — ideal for rapidly building a structure, thickening a trunk, developing nebari. Beginners find a tree that forgives errors; advanced practitioners find a fast, reactive working medium for techniques such as defoliation and structural wiring.
With its deeply cut, multi-lobed leaves resembling those of a maple or plane tree, Plane-leaf Mulberry stands radically apart from its round-leaved relatives — and produces edible mulberries to boot.
What makes it unique. Morus platanifolia is distinguished from other mulberries by the exceptional shape of its foliage: broad leaves cut into 3 to 5 deep lobes, evoking a plane tree or large-leaved maple. This characteristic gives it its name and a silhouette immediately recognisable, quite distinct from White Mulberry (Morus alba) already present in this encyclopaedia. In bonsai, this sculpted foliage creates a visually rich texture, reducible through cultivation to proportions consistent with a medium-sized pot. The vigour of the species is remarkable — the trunk thickens rapidly, the ramification responds well to repeated pruning, and back-budding on old wood is among the best in the entire collection. The sap, milky at pruning cuts, is characteristic of the genus Morus. The light grey to beige bark develops a network of highly attractive fissures with age.
Botanical note. Morus platanifolia is a cultivated form with deeply lobed leaves, generally classified under Morus alba or Morus bombycis depending on the system — not a strictly autonomous botanical species. What is consistent, however, is its bonsai culture: a species in its own right in collections, valued specifically for its leaf form, distinct from other mulberries by this single morphological criterion.
Origin. Plane-leaf Mulberry is a selected cultivated form from eastern Asia — China, Korea, Japan — in regions where mulberry trees have been cultivated for millennia for silkworm rearing. Morus platanifolia was selected and maintained for its ornamental qualities rather than its silk-production value. In bonsai, it is appreciated in north-east Asia and is beginning to spread in Europe among collectors seeking original foliage on fast-growing species.
A vigorous and accessible bonsai. Plane-leaf Mulberry is one of the species most responsive to pruning in the entire collection — ideal for rapidly building a structure, thickening a trunk, developing nebari. Beginners find a tree that forgives errors; advanced practitioners find a fast, reactive working medium for techniques such as defoliation and structural wiring.