Mulberry

A tree that produces dark, blue-purple berries that people can eat. This tree family includes some trees with dark-purple fruit and others with white fruit. The leaves of these trees are used as food for silkworms.

The mulberry tree mentioned in Luke 17:6 is likely the black mulberry (Morus nigra). It is a low-growing tree with a thick crown and stiff branches. It usually grows between 7.3 to 10.7 meters (24 to 35 feet) tall, though rarely more than 9.1 meters (30 feet).

The black mulberry originally came from northern Persia (modern Iran). Today, people grow this tree throughout the Middle East for its fruit.

The Chinese or Indian mulberry species (Morus alba) was widely grown in Syria and Israel and the surrounding areas until recent times, but it is not native to those areas.