Morus: New breeding could herald the return of the mulberry to domestic gardens, says Jane Owen

摘要

In 2002 the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace became the country's only National Collection Holder for mulberries - 400 years after they were last big royal news in this country. In 1608 James I ordered mulberries to be planted in order to create a silk industry. Unfortunately, he picked the wrong mulberry, M. nigra Award of Garden Merit (AGM), whereas most silkworms feed on the white mulberry, M. alba - in use for several thousand years in China, where all parts of the treeare used for various medicines.