Anybody know what kind of tree/berries these are? And are they edible?

[Starless]

Been living in our house for 29 years. Never noticed this tree. It's full of berries and the birds and squirrels are loving them. Are they safe for us to eat? All the berries I've ever picked have been on bushes, never on tress.
Thanks!

[id10t]

Looks like mulberry. Yummy, but too many of 'em will give you the shiats

[Starless]

Thanks! Just did a search on mulberry tree and that's it. Fast grower, maybe that's why we never noticed it. Also roots cause damage and it's near our septic. Time for more firewood.

[GH85Carrera]

They are common "weed" trees around here. They often pop up right next to other trees, blocking light to the other tree. They are spread bid birds eating the berries, and of course the bird poo has the seeds still intact.

[masraum]

mulberry tree. I've eaten some. Not as much flavor as I'd have expected, but that may have had to do with where the tree was growing.

[stevej37]

Just now took this pic of my Weeping Mulberry Tree.
It's at least 20 years old and has never had any berries. It's my favorite tree of the yard.
I have to give it a cut a couple times a season to make room for the mowing. If I didn't, the shoots will touch the ground by the end of summer.

[GH85Carrera]

If it has no berries I guess it is a male. Just good for pollen and shade. We have two Chinese Pastiche trees and bought males so they are not so dang messy.

The worst is a female cottonwood tree. They will destroy an AC compressor.

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by masraum

mulberry tree. I've eaten some. Not as much flavor as I'd have expected, but that may have had to do with where the tree was growing.

Near the septic tank?

[john70t]

Used to eat those by the handful while walking home from school.
Just look for the stains on the sidewalk.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Starless

Thanks! Just did a search on mulberry tree and that's it. Fast grower, maybe that's why we never noticed it. Also roots cause damage and it's near our septic. Time for more firewood.

Good decision.
Mulberries aren’t very flavorful to humans (at least this one) but birds love them and eat them in massive quantities. After processing the berries they deposit the result in equity massive quantities on cars and sidewalks. The seeds go straight through the birds, so it’s a real mess.

[frosty2]

My wife has two of the umbrella type and one is a male and the other is a female I guess as one has the berries and the other does not. We also have a few of the taller tree style like the ones pictured in the original post that my neighbor planted down the lot line. They grow fast and have lots of the berries, the birds love them as mentioned by others and I have even had to pick a few birds off the ground and place them in the crotch of the trees so a cat won’t find them until they sober up.
Some of the small sparrows seem to get fairly drunk on them.

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

They are common "weed" trees around here. They often pop up right next to other trees, blocking light to the other tree. They are spread bid birds eating the berries, and of course the bird poo has the seeds still intact.

Yep! They can take over an area. My company has a large CO2 tank in a fenced in area. Apparently the birds see this as a bull eye because just about every 3rd year, we remove mulberry tree growth near and around the tank.

[stevej37]

Granted, mine is a grafted tree, but it is very slow growing in the trunk area, but the shoots grow quite fast. It's the last tree in my yard to leaf out in the spring.