Can the fruit of the paper mulberry be eaten? An analysis of the edibility of paper mulberry fruit
The paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) is also known as the mulberry peach tree, Chushi Zi, and false bayberry. It is a deciduous tree of the genus Broussonetia in the mulberry family (Moraceae). It is distributed in both temperate and tropical regions of China, and can grow on plains, hills or mountains. Its leaves are excellent pig feed, its bast fiber is a high-grade raw material for papermaking, and its wood is white. Both its roots and seeds can be used as medicine. Let's take a look below at whether the fruit of the paper mulberry can be eaten!
Can the fruit of the paper mulberry be eaten?
The fruit of the paper mulberry can be eaten. The fruit of the paper mulberry ripens in autumn and can be eaten directly. It tastes sweet and sour and contains effective components such as amino acids, giving it good medicinal and edible value, but the grayish-white membranous persistent calyx and impurities must be removed. Note that the fruit of paper mulberry growing by the roadside or used for landscaping should not be eaten, as it is seriously contaminated (with pesticide residues, dust, flies and insect contamination, etc.).
The origin and distribution of the paper mulberry
The paper mulberry is produced throughout northern and southern China, and is also found in Sikkim, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan and Korea, either wild or cultivated. In China, the paper mulberry is distributed in the Yellow River, Yangtze River and Pearl River basins. It has strong adaptability, tolerates drought and poor soil, tolerates smoke and dust, and has strong resistance to air pollution. It can grow by water, mostly grows on limestone mountains, and can also grow on acidic and neutral soils. It is often wild or planted near villages on wasteland, in fields and along ditches.
The economic value of the paper mulberry
1. Feed value: the tender leaves of the paper mulberry can be fed to pigs. A fermented feed made mainly from paper mulberry leaves contains no pesticides or hormones. Paper mulberry leaf feed produced by biotechnological fermentation has a unique fresh fragrance, is liked by pigs, and after eating it the pigs sleep soundly and grow well. Depending on the breed of livestock pig and the growth stage, the feed digestion rate reaches more than 80%.
2. Medicinal value: in traditional Chinese medicine, the fruit of the paper mulberry is called Chushi Zi or paper mulberry seed, and is used as medicine together with the root. Its functions are to tonify the kidney, promote diuresis and strengthen the bones and muscles, and it mainly treats tonifying the kidney, improving eyesight and strengthening the bones and muscles. The paper mulberry is used as medicine in the form of its latex, root bark, tree bark, leaves, fruit and seeds. The latex, leaves, fruit and seeds are collected in summer and autumn, and the root bark and tree bark in winter and spring, and are used fresh or dried in the shade.
3. Horticultural landscaping: the paper mulberry has dense branches and leaves and many advantages such as resistance, fast growth and easy propagation, and its fruit is sweet and sour and edible. It remains an important tree species for urban and rural greening, and is especially suitable for greening mining areas and barren hillsides, and can also be chosen as a shade tree and for shelterbelts. As a tree species with strong resistance to toxic gases, it can be planted in areas with severe air pollution.