{"id":16619,"date":"2021-01-12T13:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=16619"},"modified":"2025-07-30T16:23:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T20:23:43","slug":"question-what-is-this-tree-is-it-invasive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/question-what-is-this-tree-is-it-invasive\/","title":{"rendered":"Question: What is this tree, is it invasive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question<\/strong>: My husband and I are 64 and have been in woods all our lives. We came across a tree we couldn’t identify and are wondering if you are familiar with it. It kind of looks like a birch with giraffe like markings. We are wondering if it is diseased since it is so unusual.\u00a0 Please see photos.
\n\"PaperMulberryTree\"<\/a>\"PaperMulberryTree2\"<\/a>\"PaperMulberryTree3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Answer<\/strong>:
\nThank you for your Ask an Expert<\/a> inquiry regarding the identification of this tree and asking if it is invasive. After sharing this with other master arborists we have identified this tree:
\nPaper Mulberry
\nBroussonetia papyrifera (L.) L\u2019Her. ex Vent
\nMulberry family (Moraceae)
\nOrigin:<\/em> Japan and Taiwan
\nBackground: <\/em>Paper mulberry was introduced for use as a fast-growing shade tree. Native Pacific cultures use it to make bark cloth.
\nDistribution and Habitat: <\/em>Found from Illinois to Massachusetts, south to Florida and west to Texas, paper mulberry invades open habitats such as forest and field edges. Internationally, it is identified as an invasive weed in over a dozen countries.
\nEcological Threat: <\/em>Once established it grows vigorously, displacing native plants through competition and shading. If left unmanaged, paper mulberry can dominate a site. Its shallow root system makes it susceptible to blowing over during high winds, posing a hazard to people and causing slope erosion and further degradation of an area.<\/p>\n

We have several resources to help you as you identify trees and invasives:
\nPurdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory<\/a>, send in a sample or photos to help identify or diagnose trees and plants (cost $11+), Purdue Extension-Botany and Plant Pathology
\nTree Doctor<\/a>, download app that can be used to help identify and learn more regarding tree diseases Purdue Extension-The Education Store
\nCertified Arborist, Find an Arborist<\/a>, International Society of Arboriculture
\nInvasive Forest Pests in IN<\/a>, Purdue Extension-Entomology
\nIndiana Invasive Species Council<\/a>
\nAsk an Expert<\/a>, Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources<\/p>\n

More Resources:<\/strong>
\nRed and White Mulberry in Indiana<\/a>, The Education Store, Purdue Extension Depot
\nInvasive plants: impact on environment and people<\/a>, The Education Store
\nWoodland Stewardship for Landowners: EQIP<\/a>, YouTube, Purdue Extension
\nInvasive Species<\/a>, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel
\nWoodland Stewardship for Landowners<\/a>, Playlist
\nFNR Ask An Expert: Invasive Plant Species<\/a>, Video
\nID That Tree<\/a>, Playlist
\nWhat are invasive species and why should I care?<\/a>, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
\nReport Invasive Species<\/a>, Purdue Invasive Species
\nThe GLEDN Phone App<\/a> \u2013 Great Lakes Early Detection Network
\nEDDMaps<\/a> \u2013 Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System
\nIndiana Department of Natural Resources: Invasive Species<\/a>
\nIndiana Invasive Species Council<\/a>
\nCooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA)<\/a><\/p>\n

Lindsey Purcell<\/a>, Chapter Executive Director
\nIndiana Arborist Association<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: My husband and I are 64 and have been in woods all our lives. We came across a tree we couldn’t identify and are wondering if you are familiar with it. It kind of looks like a birch with giraffe like markings. We are wondering if it is diseased since it is so unusual.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,80,45,48,622],"tags":[256,60,63,161,224,1331,67,1113],"class_list":["post-16619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forestry","category-trees","category-howto","category-invasiveplantspecies","category-woodlands","tag-fnr","tag-forestry","tag-how-to","tag-identification","tag-invasive","tag-paper-mulberry","tag-plants","tag-woodland","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16619"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33835,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16619\/revisions\/33835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}