While pulling ivy behind my backyard fence, I realized that this Morus alba (?) growing back there is likely the "mother" of Morus seedlings that keep popping up in my yard.
I also noticed that my neighbor's old wire fence was girdling it in 2 places. The last photo shows where the lower part of the trunk had grown around it. I cut her fence (no big loss there) so I could pull the wire out of the tree even though I realize it might still die.
Do trees survive this much girdling?
Well, it's certainly a morus. I can't tell alba from rubra by leaves.
Thanks, Wee.
After I read about differences between the two, I've decided it's most likely not Morus rubra, because M. rubra's leaves are described as pubescent on the bottom and rough on the top.
Morus alba leaves are glabrous.
It's not my tree, and I wouldn't cut it down just because it's non-native anyway, so I guess I'll find out whether the girdling has doomed it.
I've despaired of doing an ID on mine because of the mixed attributes that appear. Local sources have said that interbreeding is the common situation where I live.
Being a Morus, It may break or get sick but I'm betting it will be there forever in some form.
I am betting that it will survive just fine. As a farm and ranch kid I saw quite a few fence girdled trees. Most of them not only survived but grew large and apparently healthy.
Thanks, Sally and Oregonbluemoon.
