Fatoua spp.

mulberry weed

Eastern Asia, Australia, and the western Pacific

SunFull Sun – Part Shade – Full Shade

Overview

Fatoua spp. is a small genus of herbaceous plants in the mulberry family (Moraceae), comprising roughly three species native to eastern Asia, Australia, and islands of the western Pacific. Plants are annual or short-lived, growing 8-40 inches (20-100 cm) tall on slender, erect, often branched stems. Leaves are alternate, broadly ovate with toothed margins and a tapering tip, 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) long, and covered in short rough hairs that give the foliage a sandpapery texture. Unlike the woody trees and shrubs that dominate Moraceae, Fatoua spp. species are soft-stemmed and complete their growth in a single season across much of their range. Tiny flowers are borne in compact axillary clusters; the greenish to purplish heads measure only 0.1-0.2 inch (3-5 mm) across and are wind- and self-pollinated rather than insect-pollinated. The fruit is a small achene that the plant expels mechanically, scattering seed up to several feet. F. villosa, the most widespread species, has naturalized far beyond its native range and appears as a volunteer in container nurseries, greenhouses, and disturbed ground across temperate and subtropical regions. It is rarely grown intentionally and turns up more often as a spontaneous colonizer of cultivated soil. Rapid seed set and tolerance of shade make established colonies persistent once present.

Native Range

Fatoua spp. is native to eastern Asia, Australia, and the western Pacific islands, with its center of diversity in subtropical and warm-temperate East Asia. F. villosa has spread widely as an introduced weed in North America, Europe, and other temperate regions.

Suggested Uses

Fatoua spp. is rarely grown deliberately and has no established landscape role. It is most often documented as a volunteer in nursery containers, greenhouses, and disturbed urban soils, where its presence marks recently cultivated ground.

How to Identify

Recognized by erect, hairy, soft stems and alternate ovate leaves with coarsely toothed margins and a rough, hairy surface. Small greenish to purplish flower clusters sit tight against the leaf axils rather than on raised stalks. The combination of mulberry-family foliage on a non-woody annual stem, plus seed capsules that snap open to fling seed, separates Fatoua spp. from similar weedy herbs.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 3'4"

Width/Spread6" - 1'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~12 weeks

Summer Fall

Flowering occurs from summer into autumn wherever the growing season is long, and nearly year-round in frost-free greenhouses. The minute flowers are clustered in axillary heads and are not insect-pollinated, so they carry no petals or nectar display. Seed ripens quickly after flowering, allowing several overlapping generations in a single warm season.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

greenish to purplish

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Requires 2-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam sand clay

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Fatoua spp. grows in full sun to moderate shade and tolerates a wide range of soils, favoring moist, fertile, disturbed ground. It needs no supplementary care where it occurs and germinates readily from seed at warm temperatures of 68-86°F (20-30°C). In cultivated settings it is usually managed as a weed, since a single plant can set hundreds of seeds that remain viable in the soil. Hand removal before seed set limits spread, because the explosive seed dispersal scatters propagules across nearby pots and beds. Plants die back completely with the first hard frost. No serious pests or diseases affect it.

Pruning

No pruning is practiced on this plant. Where it is unwanted, whole plants are pulled or hoed before the seed heads mature. Cut stems do not regrow strongly, as the plant relies on seed rather than perennial structures.