[2] Common in the United States, it is listed as an endangered species in Canada,[3][4] and is susceptible to hybridization with the invasive white mulberry (M. alba), introduced from Asia.

[5] Red mulberry is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree, growing to 10–15 metres (35–50 feet) tall, rarely 21 m (70 ft), with a trunk up to 50 centimetres (20 inches) in diameter.

[3] Unlike the leaves of white mulberry (M. alba) which have a lustrous upper surface, the red mulberry leaf upper surface is noticeably rough, similar in texture to fine sandpaper, and the underside is densely covered with soft hairs.

[citation needed] The fruit is a compound cluster of several small achenes surrounded by a fleshy calyx, similar in appearance to a blackberry, 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) long.

[14] The current world record Red Mulberry tree is located in Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas.

M. rubra occurs from the Atlantic coast to the eastern edge of the Great Plains, south to southern Florida and north to southwestern Ontario in Canada.

The red mulberry is currently considered endangered in Canada, and in the USA, the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts as well as threatened in Michigan and Vermont.

[15] The first English colonists to explore eastern Virginia in 1607 mentioned the abundance of both mulberry trees and their fruit, which was eaten (sometimes boiled) by the native Powhatan tribes.

[19] Documentations of the use of red mulberry go back to 1500 by the De Soto expedition, which recorded the consumption of dried fruits by the indigenous Muskogee peoples.

[20] The Choctaw Indians used to prepare a kind of cloth out of the bark of Morus and would produce a yellow dye from the root of the same plant.

[21] In an early stage, pruning is necessary to make the red mulberry tree develop a sturdy framework.

To keep the tree in a tidy form, it is suggested to choose a few main branches and cut the laterals to six leaves in July.

[22] In the first year of a red mulberry's lifetime, a sufficient water supply is critical for the development of the root system.

Later, the red mulberry is drought tolerant, although under water scarcity it may drop its fruits too early which results in berry yield losses.

In that case, infected fruits should be collected and burned, to prevent the pathogens population to reproduce and survive for the next season.

[26] Red mulberry plants require a total annual rainfall of 1,000–2,000 mm (39–79 in)[27] and are adapted to altitudes of up to 800 msl.

[29] The plants prefer deep, well drained soils that range from loamy to clayey and have a high moisture-holding capacity.

[25] Thus, for the decision of building up a mulberry orchard, one needs to estimate not the current demand but the market potential of ten years later.

In future, the economic viability of mulberry production may increase even more as its drought resistance constitutes an opportunity for agriculture under climate change and as the fruit contains many micronutrients and vitamins, while people pay more and more attention to healthy nutrition.

[citation needed] Agroforestry constitutes an opportunity to further improve the viability of red mulberry cultivation.

Short-duration legume crops as intercrops improves the soil, controls weeds, and creates additional revenue.