Several people been asking how one particular mulberry tree & fruit compares to another mulberry.
While I can’t compare all of them, I can provide some first hand insight on two of my favorite mulberries.
Below is a side by side comparison of the Pakistan Mulberry and the White Persian Mulberry through my particular eyes and palate.
Side by side comparison:
Tree: Pakistan Mulberry White Persian Mulberry
Tree growth: Vigorous Slow
Leaf size: Large Medium
Amt of fruit: Lots 1/2 the amt of fruit on the tree
Fruit Size/Shape: Long fruit Short-stout fruit.
Ripe fruit color: Purple/maroon and dusky Dark purple- black and shinny
When ripe: March->May April->June
Fruit taste: Sweet and fruity Sweet and bright-somewhat acid.
Fruit juiciness: On the dry side Juicy and messy
Tree care:
- The care is basically the same for both trees (For more info, see my earlier post for the care of the Pakistan Mulberry).
The Pakistan mulberries a long sweet and juicy, very delicious. The persian mulberries ‘shah toot’ are shorter, fat, and tart before ripe, and really pack a lot of flavor, juice, and sweet and a little tart when ripe. The pakistan ones are very good even before fully ripe, while the persian mulberries are amazingly good when ripe.
http://www.paradisenursery.com/fruit-trees/mulberries
I am trying to find to buy a Pakistani mulberry tree (long, large berries) for a friend of mine and am having no luck. Can you recommend a source? Thank you.
To Tex Wood: One Green World has Pakistan mulberries https://onegreenworld.com/product/pakistan-mulberry/
Thanks Violet
I have the Pakistan, Persian, a white color mulberry (that I just call white mulberry) a weeping and just bought an Oscar mulberry. If I had to get one it would be the Pakistan followed by the Persian, weeping and the white. I just got the Oscar which I haven’t tired the fruit yet but will add some input from what others have said and have read on the internet.
For flavor I will say the Persian takes the top. I like the acidity and reminds me a little bit of the acidity in pomegranates. The Persian reminds me of Pakistan mulberry and a pomegranate mixed together. With that said the Pakistan is still a very tasty fruit. For me the Pakistan beats the Persian for similar reasons as you have suggested; It grows much more, has bigger fruits and fruits more. It is also easier to eat. Persians seem to explode in your hands. Fruit is very juicy and bleeds a lot. It also doesn’t seem to come off as easy as the Pakistan. For these reasons I think the Pakistan has the best eating experience. With lots of fruits that are just like candy and easy to eat one after another makes it a winner. The Pakistan buds out in late May. The Persian buds out in April.
The weeping has more of a mulberry flavor I experienced as a kid visiting my grandparents in Michigan during the summer. Still a delicious fruit but the Pakistan and Persian I find to be better. The nice thing about the weeping mulberry tree is it doesn’t get big making it easy to find a place to plant. The weeping is also a very beautiful tree to look at with its dropping branches. It is now just starting to bud out in late March.
The white mulberry (the white fruit that is) has a cloying sweet flavor. To me it’s like brown sugar and vanilla. It isn’t terrible at all but just seems to lack distinctive flavors like the dark colored mulberries. The white mulberry tree is the fasted growing of all the mulberry trees I have.
I recently read that the Oscar is another favorite and some even like it better than the Persian and Pakistan. I found a place the sells it recently and just bought one. I did read that it is more a zone 8 tree. I live in the coastal area of San Diego (Zone 10). But I have read it grows here and met a person who says he is growing one where I live. I have read that the Oscar mulberry can be eaten at different stages. People said it taste like a raspberry in the red stage and taste more like a blackberry at the dark/black ripest stage. At early March it just starting to bud out. The Pakistan is already full of leaves and lots of unripe fruit. The Persian is still dormant so the Oscar fruits between the Pakistan and Persian and overlapping them. The weeping is just starting to bud out. Seems that the Oscar and weeping bud out closer together than the other mulberries. It is nice not having all the mulberries fruit at the same time giving a longer season for mulberries.
Anyone else that has an Oscar mulberry? Anyone with one that lives in the San Diego area with mulberries? Love to hear (read about) your input or just about any mulberry that you like in general.
Reading your comments makes me want to eat handfuls of mulberry fruit.
I have grown all of the ones you mentioned except for the white mulberry.
I found that the Oscar is the most temperamental of them and has fruited the least for me. The Persian mulberry and Pakistan mulberry do awesome if you can keep the ground squirrels from ravaging them.
Thanks!
Tom
Thanks for the reply Tom. When I look at my Pakistan with all the flowers coming out now, I can feel my mouth start to water. The month of May just can’t come soon enough. I wouldn’t be surprised about the Oscar since it is suppose to me more at home in a zone 8. Always fun to try and see what works. At least I have two Pakistans and two Persians to keep me entertain. In my neck of the woods (or is that neck of coastal chaparral?) I don’t have to worry about the squirrels much but do have rats that like the fruit trees and as well as the birds. Going to try the bird tape that you suggested when the fruits come out. Used rat traps as well.
Cool and good luck!