Maybe we shouldn’t go round the mulberry bush or perhaps even plant it.

At a garden center recently, I inquired about where to find fruit trees. Specifically, I was looking for a mulberry tree as a favorite, bird-attracting specimen was failing and I wanted to plant a few more to replace the dying tree.

“We don’t sell them,” was the reply.

In fact, the confident staffer continued, they are invasive and the sale of mulberry trees is prohibited in Massachusetts. I slunk away, flushed with embarrassment (and hoping no one recognized this native-plant loving naturalist) to have requested a verboten variety. I think I was plant-shamed.

Though at first mortified, then confused, I turned to research to uncover the truth about mulberry. And, in fact, that plant professional did not have all of his information straight and was incorrect on at least one count. Mulberries are not currently on the Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List and, furthermore, there is one variety that is native, even if not common in the Commonwealth.

But my garden center advisor was not completely wrong in his dismissal of my request for mulberry trees. One of the mulberry species is of concern for its ability to spread and threaten the native variety. Some even say it is invasive.

White mulberry (whose berries can be red or purple) was brought to this country from Asia and can be aggressive, spreading and outcompeting other plants. This variety can also interfere with the survival of native mulberry as it can crosspollinate and hybridize with it, thereby, weakening its genetics. White mulberry also may cause a root disease that spreads to the native variety and harms its saplings. Definitely concerning.

Even so, in this state, no mulberry varieties are currently prohibited, though that could change. These berry-bearing beauties are also derided due to the profusion of heady purple-black fruits that grow and drop in excess, and can dye and stain the ground, sidewalk, driveway and your house when you bring them in on your shoes. On the other hand, those ferocious fruits are delicious and have exceptional food value.

The native mulberry is rare in this state and not maligned. Red mulberry trees, Morus rubra, are on another list, the Commonwealth’s endangered plant list. So, there are some statewide regulations around this tree, but these rules are meant to protect rare plants like the red mulberry, not exclude them.

Red mulberries have not been found growing wild on the Island. Most natural occurrences in Massachusetts are on steep, east-facing ledges on rocky coasts, according to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, the state agency responsible for protecting this and other rare organisms. These trees exist across much of the United States (east of the Rockies), we are just on the edge of their range.

The answer of the question as to whether plant or not plant, is seemingly as messy as those squished fruits, and I can well respect and appreciate the nursery that won’t carry the white type of tree. 

Polly Hill Arboretum in its Plant Selection Guide designates both red and white mulberry as “Island Appropriate,” so there are differences of opinions. Polly Hill staff sentiments on mulberry are good enough for me and the wildlife that enjoys the fruit of my labors. But, in this case, I will respect and appreciate those that disagree and thank them for their efforts to protect Island flora.

It’s a team effort that — like the mulberry — comes in a variety of flavors.

Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.