Family: Moraceae

Native to East Asia and commonly called paper mulberry or wauke, Polynesian colonists brought this plant with them in their canoes. This is because wauke makes the best kapa cloth. However, tree maintenance is essential as branched trees make poor kapa. In cultivation, keep your wauke trees short (<8 ft.) and remove any side branches so only a straight trunk remains. Then, the inner bark can be cleanly striped with no branch hole damage. Propagation is easiest by root sucker and your wauke will require ample water for proper growth. Wauke was also used in traditional medicine as a laxative and a cure for the mouth disease ʻea (thrush).

This is a fast-growing pioneer tree that can reach heights up to 15 meters tall. The leaves are highly variable in shape and size, even those sharing the same branch. However, their leaves are noticeably rough, lightly hairy, and have toothed margins. It makes a poor ornamental plant as its form is not visually pleasing. The many root suckers don’t leave much room for other desirable species. They are also difficult to dig out. Each root can grow a new tree.

Hawaiʻi has a seedless wauke variety. To date, no fruits and seeds have been observed. However, paper mulberry persists long after cultivation, especially near waterways. There are reports of this plant’s weediness from several areas, including North America, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and other Pacific Islands. In these places, seeds are dispersed by birds as well as through vegetative means.

Plant Uses:

• Cultural significance
• Medicinal
• Privacy / screening

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers