Blackberries and mulberries look strikingly similar when ripe, but they come from completely unrelated plants. Blackberries grow on thorny bushes in the rose family, while mulberries grow on trees that can reach over 24 meters (80 feet) tall. Once you know what to look for, telling them apart is straightforward.
They Come From Different Plant Families
Despite their similar appearance, blackberries and mulberries are not closely related. Blackberries belong to the genus Rubus in the rose family (Rosaceae), making them botanical cousins of raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. Mulberries belong to the genus Morus in the fig family (Moraceae), which puts them closer to figs and breadfruit. The confusion between the two goes back centuries. The Old English word “morbeam” was used for both fruits interchangeably.
The Plants Look Nothing Alike
This is the easiest way to tell them apart. Blackberries grow on sprawling, prickly bushes that typically stay low to the ground or arch outward in tangled brambles. Mulberries grow on full-sized deciduous trees. A mature mulberry tree can tower overhead, with some species exceeding 80 feet.
The leaves are also distinctive. Blackberry leaves are compound, meaning each leaf is divided into three to five separate leaflets with serrated edges, arranged on a single stem. Mulberry leaves are simple (one leaf per stem), heart-shaped, rough-textured, with toothed margins and sometimes two or three lobes. If you see a lobed, heart-shaped leaf on a tree, you’re looking at a mulberry.
How to Tell the Fruits Apart
When the fruits are sitting side by side, shape is your best clue. Blackberries tend to be rounder and more compact. Mulberries are elongated and oval, and some species produce fruit up to 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) long. Blackberries are also more uniform in size, while mulberries vary widely.
The real giveaway is the stem. When you pick a blackberry, the white core (called the torus or receptacle) stays inside the fruit, giving it a solid center. This is the same reason raspberries are hollow: when you pick a raspberry, the torus stays on the vine, leaving a cup-shaped berry. Blackberries keep theirs. Mulberries, on the other hand, have a thin stem running through the center of the fruit, and you’ll often see a small green stalk attached when you pluck one.
Color can mislead you. Ripe blackberries are always deep purple-black. Mulberries come in white, red, and black varieties depending on the species. Black mulberries look nearly identical to blackberries in color, which is where most of the confusion happens.
Flavor and Sweetness
Blackberries have a bold, tart flavor with a distinctive taste driven by their unique aromatic compounds. They strike a sharper balance between sweet and sour, which is why they pair well with sugar in jams and desserts. Wild blackberries tend to be sweeter than cultivated ones, with sugar content averaging around 20% in wild varieties compared to 8.6% to 14.1% in commercially grown fruit.
Mulberries are generally sweeter and milder. Black mulberries contain more total sugars than blackberries, with a honey-like sweetness that can taste almost wine-like when fully ripe. White mulberries are the sweetest and mildest of all, sometimes described as having very little tartness. Red mulberries fall somewhere in between. Because mulberries are less acidic overall, they can taste one-dimensional to people who prefer a more complex berry flavor.
Nutritional Differences
Both fruits are nutrient-dense, but they each have strengths. Blackberries are particularly high in fiber and vitamin C, with a notable amount of vitamin K. Mulberries contain more total sugars and slightly more iron. Both fruits are rich in anthocyanins, the plant pigments responsible for their deep color and associated with antioxidant activity.
Black mulberries stand out for their exceptionally high anthocyanin content, which is the highest among mulberry varieties. These pigments are remarkably stable and water-soluble, making mulberry a significant dietary source of anthocyanins. Black mulberries also contain more flavonoids and demonstrate stronger antioxidant activity than red or white mulberries.
Why Mulberries Stain Everything
If you’ve ever picked mulberries, you know your fingers, clothes, and probably your driveway ended up purple. Mulberry pigment is considered essentially irreplaceable among fruit pigments because it dissolves completely in water and remains highly stable. The dominant pigment is a compound that makes up 54% to 78% of the total anthocyanin content, and it holds its color stubbornly. Blackberries stain too, but mulberries are in a different league. This is also why mulberry trees planted near sidewalks and patios can be a nuisance: fallen fruit leaves vivid purple splotches on concrete.
Shelf Life and Availability
Blackberries are a common grocery store fruit, but even with refrigeration they last only two to three days at optimal cold storage. Mulberries are far more fragile. They bruise almost immediately after picking, which is the main reason you’ll almost never find fresh mulberries in a store. They need to be eaten or processed within a day of harvest.
Seasonally, mulberries ripen earlier in the summer, typically from late May through June in most of the Northern Hemisphere. Blackberries follow shortly after, with peak season running from July through September depending on the region and variety. Wild blackberries are easy to forage in hedgerows and along trails across much of North America and Europe. Mulberry trees are less common in the wild but often show up in urban areas, parks, and older properties where they were planted decades ago.
Cooking and Eating
Blackberries hold up better in cooking. Their firmer texture and tartness make them ideal for pies, cobblers, jams, and sauces. They also freeze well, which is why frozen blackberries are widely available year-round.
Mulberries are best eaten fresh off the tree or dried. Their higher sugar content and softer texture mean they break down quickly when cooked, producing a sweeter, less structured result than blackberries. Dried mulberries have become popular as a snack and work well in granola or trail mix. They can also be made into wine, syrup, or preserves, though you’ll need to add acid (like lemon juice) to balance their sweetness. Because mulberries are so perishable, drying or freezing them immediately after picking is the most practical way to store a large harvest.