Home > Plants > Moraceae > Broussonetia papyrifera

Updated 9/28/2013

Family Moraceae

HAWAII - POLYNESIAN INTRODUCTION

Broussonetia papyrifera

UH Manoa, Oahu

 


Kawainui Marsh, Oahu

PAPER MULBERRY    WAUKE

Spindly tree with sandpapery leaves found in mesic valleys along streams.  Brought to Hawaii by Polynesian settlers to produce bark to make high-quality Kapa cloth.  Propagated from cuttings since it does not produce fruit in Hawaii.  Native to China and widely cultivated throughout the Pacific.