White Mulberry vs Hairy Crabweed

Although these plants are totally dissimilar at maturity, young white mulberries are easily confused with hairy crabweed, leading to its common name "Mulberry weed". Young plants are easily distinguished by checking for woody growth.

White Mulberry (Morus alba)	Hairy Crabweed (Fatoua villosa)
White Mulberry (Morus alba) A tree native to northern China; introduced in North America, where it is widely considered invasive and hybridizes with the native red mulberry.	Hairy Crabweed (Fatoua villosa) A weedy annual native from southeast Asia through Australia, and introduced in north America, where it has become invasive, especially in container nurseries.
White Mulberry (Morus alba) Woody plant. Plants do not flower until reaching tree or shrub height, after multiple years of age. Plants already developing wood during their first season. Photo © KatieLMiller, CC BY 4.0.	Hairy Crabweed (Fatoua villosa) An annual that flowers in summer to early fall of its first season of growth. Photo © DM, CC BY 4.0.
White Mulberry (Morus alba) Leaves often unlobed, but can be irregularly lobed. Photo © Mark, CC BY 4.0.	Hairy Crabweed (Fatoua villosa) Leaves always unlobed. Photo © Timothy Gerla, CC BY 4.0.
White Mulberry (Morus alba) Stipules (a leaf-like structure where the leaf attaches to the stem), when present (usually on new growth), are longer and more conspicuous. Photo © Alona Bookbinder, CC BY-SA 4.0.	Hairy Crabweed (Fatoua villosa) Stipules, when present, are smaller and less conspicuous. Photo © Melissa McMasters, CC BY 4.0.

References & External Resources

These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, which is the first entry here.