Ulmus 'Hillieri'

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Ulmus 'Hillieri'
BH00056 Ulmus. Stanmer Park Arboretum, Brighton. (5).jpg
'Hillieri' in Stanmer Park Arboretum, Brighton, summer, c.2005
Genus Ulmus
Cultivar 'Hillieri'
OriginWinchester, England

The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Hillieri' arose from a chance seedling at Hillier's Pitt Corner nursery near Winchester, England, in 1918, [1] and was marketed from 1928 as Ulmus hillieri, [2] a name accepted by Christine Buisman in her 1931 labelling of a specimen in France. Since at least 1944 the tree has been determined a form of Ulmus × hollandica, its designation at Kew Gardens, in Green, [3] and in later Hillier catalogues. [4] In 1940, 'Hillieri' was noted as being a hybrid of uncertain origin. [5] Krüssmann notes that for a time the tree was listed by Hilliers as U. × hillieri. [6]

Contents

Not to be confused with Ulmus 'Jacqueline Hillier', which also has a shrubby habit but much smaller leaves.

Description

'Hillieri' is a graceful, compact, slow-growing miniature tree rarely > 1.2 m in height, [note 1] widely branched and bearing weeping branches. [6] The small leaves (5 – 7 cm by 2.5 – 3 cm [7] ) turn crimson and yellow in favourable autumns, [1] a feature of at least one Japanese Elm cultivar, 'Jacan'. The 'vivid scarlet' of the autumn leaves was noted (1940) as being a unique colouring for elms. [5]

Pests and diseases

The degree of the tree's susceptibility to Dutch elm disease (DED) is unknown. It has been noted that shrub-elms are usually less prone to infection. [8]

Cultivation

A specimen stood in the Arboretum national des Barres, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France, in the 1930s. [7] 'Hillier' was introduced to the US in 1954 as Ulmus hillieri. [9] An old low shrub-elm in Stanmer Park Arboretum, Brighton (2018, now storm-damaged), [10] planted in the winter of 1965-6, with level rather than pendulous branching and leaves closely matching 'Hillieri' herbarium specimens in Kew Herbarium [11] and the Arboretum national des Barres, [7] was said (2018) by Hillier Nurseries, who supplied many elms to the arboretum, to be 'Hillieri', [12] though it is about 4 m tall and lacks crimson autumn colour. Dutch authorities who examined the tree in 2010 conjectured Japanese Elm hybrid. [13]

A tree cultivated in Denmark as Ulmus × hollandica 'Hillieri' or Dukke-elm (:Doll's elm) appears from photographs to be U. 'Jacqueline Hillier'. [14] A tree in the Arboretum Volčji Potok, Slovenia, labelled Ulmus × hollandica 'Hillieri', has leaves much smaller than those of 'Hillieri', and may be a form of dwarf Ulmus parvifolia . [15] [16]

Synonymy

Notes

  1. ↑ The 2002 edition of The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs misprints as "usually less than 12 m high" (p.369).

References

  1. 1 2 Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs. (1977). David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK.
  2. ↑ Hillier & Sons, Cat. 38T, p.52, 1928 (Winchester)
  3. ↑ Green, Peter Shaw (1964). "Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus". Arnoldia. 24 (6–8). Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University: 41–80. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Terrier, C. (1944). "La maladie des ormeaux" (PDF). Bulletin de la Murithienne. 62: 71–84. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  5. 1 2 Weaver, Sidney (1940). "Correspondence". Gardeners' Chronicle. 108: 44. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  6. 1 2 Krüssmann, Gerd (1986). Manual of cultivated broad-leaved trees & shrubs. Vol. 3. p. 410.
  7. 1 2 3 "Herbarium specimen - L.1587100". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet described as Ulmus hillieri, Arboretum national des Barres specimen, Nogent-sur-Vernisson (1931)
  8. ↑ Rafaël Govaerts, Kris Michielsen and Eike Jablonski, 'Untraced weeping broadleaf cultivars: an overview', dendrology.lu
  9. ↑ Plant Inventory No. 162. 213985
  10. ↑ 'Rare elms in the spotlight for Sussex Tree Festival', 11 June 2025
  11. ↑ Kew Plants of the World Online: ' Ulmus × hollandica Mill. Images'; Kew herbarium specimen of Ulmus × hollandica Mill. cv. 'Hillieri': Image 4 of 52; ID:1128161; powo.science.kew.org
  12. ↑ Correspondence from Hillier Nurseries Limited, October 2018.
  13. ↑ Correspondence from Holland, October 2018.
  14. ↑ Lønbæk Planteskole, Holstebro, Denmark; loenbaek.dk
  15. ↑ Arboretum Volčji Potok, tree photo
  16. ↑ Arboretum Volčji Potok, leaves photo
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