Che (Chinese mulberry)

Maclura tricuspidata

Red, mulberry-like fruit with a watermelon-ish flavor; thorny.

Type: small tree · fruit trees
Hardiness: zones 6 to 9
Light: full sun
Size: about 20 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Harvest: September to October
From: E. Asia
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food.

Native to: East Asia. Hardy in zones 6 to 9.

The story

Che has been grown in China for centuries, its leaves a backup food for silkworms and its fruit a village snack; it reached Europe in 1862 and the US soon after, where it fruits in the same climates as figs and mulberries.

Planting

Full sun and any drained soil; it tolerates drought and poor ground. Plant a self-fertile grafted variety, or a male with females. Thorny when young, to 25 feet.

Growing

Water the first years, then little. Prune lightly in winter; it fruits on new wood. Remove suckers from the rootstock.

Harvest and use

Fruit ripens dark red in autumn, late, and must be fully soft on the tree; it tastes of watermelon and fig. Eat fresh within a day.

What to watch for

Birds; frost taking late fruit in cool places.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home