The earliest known herbarium specimens in the U.S. are dated 1964, yet it apparently was established in Louisiana before that time. Now mulberry weed is established in several locations in the southeastern U.S. from Ohio to Florida and west to Texas and Oklahoma. It is typically found in moist, shady areas. In NC it is almost exclusively a weed of container nurseries and landscape plantings. However, there are unconfirmed reports of naturalized populations in wetlands in Florida and Louisiana.
Plants reproduce by seed and are prolific seed producers.
Seed apparently require some after-ripening before they will germinate, but how long and under what conditions is unknown. Long distance transport occurs in contaminated nursery stock. Plants can have two or more generations per season. In a recent NC nursery weed survey, mulberry weed was observed germinating from April through late November. To date, no research data are available.