This dioecious root-suckering tree is widely planted across southeastern states and it often escapes, especially in warm regions on moist fertile soils (K, W). Although "paper mulberry" has traditional economic uses in East Asia, especially for its fiber, the species is generally considered a weed in North America. Its reddish, somewhat edible fruits are often overlooked, and there are few colls. in herbaria. There appears to be little establishment from seed, but trees persist through vigorous suckers, sometimes spreading from the original stump. Its pollen is considered a serious allergen in subtropical regions of East Asia (Abbas et al. 2009, Wu et al. 2019), where the species is locally abundant in urban areas, but such effects have not been reported in North America. With leaves alone, B. papyrifera is sometimes confused with Morus rubra. It differs in its usually more or less truncate leaf blade bases (versus subcordate), and its densely gray-pubescent lower leaf surfaces (versus densely to sparsely pubescent); also, in lobed leaves the central lobe often has lateral notches (versus usually uninterrupted margins).