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Questions, corrections and comments to Jeff Finger.
Any help identifying the mystery trees would be greatly appreciated.
According to Wikipedia: Morus:
The fruit is a multiple fruit, 2-3 centimetres (0.8-1.2 in) long. The fruits when immature are white or green to pale yellow with pink edges. In most species the fruits are red when they are ripening. A fully ripened mulberry in these species is dark purple to black, edible, and sweet with a good flavor in several species. The fruits of the white-fruited cultivar of the White Mulberry on the other hand are green when unripe and white when ripe; the fruit in this cultivar is sweet, and has a very mild flavor compared with the dark fruits.
I believe these trees were cultivated as food for silkworms. According to David Kroyanker's book on Talbiye, the Talbiye area that is now Hovevei Zion, Disraeli, Pinsker streets was planted in mulberries for silk production in the 19th Century, and that there was even a factory for producing silk.
Where: 7 Molcho Street
When: April 22, 2009
And here is a picture of the same tree at night, taken from out kitchen window. When the berries are ripe during May, we get visitors — Egyptian Fruit Bats. Photo courtesy Sara Deutch. See more photos at Jerusalem Animals.
