silk worms

[csgray]

Pete,
Are you sure there isn't a difference in the invasiveness of a tree spreading by seed and those same plants only spreading through cuttings?

The reading I did said there were both male and female paper mulberry plants, and that the Polynesians only brought cuttings of the males here, but that both the males and the females grow on the mainland and have become invasive as a result of pollination and distribution of seeds via bird poop. I know wind blown seeds sure can spread far (those damn Albizias for example) while it seems like a tree that had adapted to a strategy of spreading its genetic material by seeds would be limited in how far it could/would spread by roots sprouting baby trees.

Just trying to figure this out, I sure don't want to add to Hawaii's collection of non-native invasives!

Carol

[peteadams]

Wasn't aware of the mulberry plants being single sexed. Of course, if only male (or only female) plants were introduced and the plant is incapable of producing hermaphrodites, then no seed can be produced and no seed-based invasiveness. This has no bearing on seed-grown versus cutting-grown. If a plant that has both sexes on the same individual, then a cutting from it can grow to produce seed. The invasiveness I was speaking of was the underground spreading by root over a large area relatively quickly, the concern of the Greenwell gardener. Let go, this sort of spreading can take over large areas, such as the bamboo forest along the Hana highway. But other than caution of the gardener, I don't have any data on exactly how fast the wauke will spread.

[Rene Siracusa]

I have black mulberry seedlings (just a few) and need to prune my big trees, so I can provide cuttings. They root easily.

[csgray]

Mahalo for the offer Rene, but I am looking for Paper Mulberry which is a whole different variety, and we already have one of the black mulberries. One of my favorite childhood memories is of sitting in a friends enormous mulberry tree and eating mulberries until our tongues were purple.

Carol

[Hotzcatz]

Can silkworms eat either type of mulberry? Then you could have silk and tapacloth, too.

---

"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson

[asly]

I too would like to know if silk worms can eat any type of mulberry?? And what is Kapa?

Enjoy the day! Ann

[peteadams]

Kapa is the pounded bark cloth typically of the wauke mulberry or mamaki tree which provided clothing for the old Hawaiians.

[asly]

Oh... thanks Pete!

Enjoy the day! Ann