mulberry tree size?

I'm reading about moriculture - growing of mulberry trees for silk production.  

In the book, it says "Mulberry grows into huge trees under natural conditions.  The large tree (trunk circumference 23 m and height 9 m) found in the residential compound of Ryotsu city of Sado..."

A trunk circumference of 23 meters?

How big do mulberry trees get when untended?  

I'm certain that is a typo.  I'm guessing it should have been 2.3 m.   If those numbers were correct, the tree is 30 feet tall and 75 feet around.  You can imagine this would be nearly impossible.  


A quick search found this:

"Coast redwood is the tallest tree in the world, but also the girth of its trunk is very large. Del Norte Titan has the largest circumference of single trunk in this species – 22.73 m.

Del Norte Titan was discovered on May 11, 1998 and this beautiful tree has the fourth largest volume of wood in the world.

Serious contender to the title of stoutest redwood is Lost Monarch just across the nearby Mill Creek. This giant tree has larger circumference (24.13 m), it is also taller – fantastic 97.84 m and has larger wood volume. Nevertheless its circumference includes several trunks."

The world record for a single trunk tree is 22.73 m.



I have mulberry trees and they grow very fast.  It isn't hard to believe on would reach 30 feet tall in a few years.

Reading further into the chapter, I see what's happened.

The mulberry is very easily coppiced and it looks like we've had several trunks from the same root, but they grew together into one super-trunk.  Which would also account for the low height of the tree.  

https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Morus+alba

sam na wrote:https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Morus+alba

I like this

Morus alba is a deciduous Tree growing to 18 m (59ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a medium rate.  

Is that height by width, or width by height?  How are they measuring?

r ranson wrote:Reading further into the chapter, I see what's happened.

The mulberry is very easily coppiced and it looks like we've had several trunks from the same root, but they grew together into one super-trunk.  Which would also account for the low height of the tree.  

I located a picture of that tree.  Here is the description:

"As an island of silk-farming using Aino mulberry leaves, Sado used to boast the top sericulture industry in Niigata Prefecture. This giant, ancient Aino mulberry tree is estimated to be 1300 years old, measuring 9 meters tall and 5.2 meters around the base. The trunk divides into four branches, and the crown spreads 18 meters. Hayoshi's Aino mulberry tree is one of the three great mulberry trees in Japan, together with one at Ebisu Shrine in Otaru City, Hokkaido, and another in Usune, Numata City, Gunma Prefecture."

Redwoods are usually far smaller than 23 m in circumference and you can drive cars through them.  This tree is approximately 17 feet around, rather than 75 feet.  Three average adults could reach around the mulberry tree.  A large redwood could be reached around by ten or twelve people.

Here is the picture of the tree:  Mulberry tree