Ulmus 'Tortuosa'

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Ulmus 'Tortuosa'
Genus Ulmus
Cultivar 'Tortuosa'
OriginEurope

The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Tortuosa'Host, the Wiggly Elm, was described by Host in Flora Austriaca (1827) as Ulmus tortuosa, [1] [2] [3] from low, twisted, small-leaved trees that grew in the hilly districts of Hungary. [4] A contemporary herbarium specimen (1833) from Central Europe labelled U. tortuosaHost appears to show small field elm-type leaves. Henry distinguished 'Tortuosa' Host from Loddiges' and Loudon's U. tortuosa, which he identified with Ulmus 'Modiolina', "l'orme tortillard" of France. Henry noted, however, that abnormal sinuous or zigzagging growth "might occur in any kind of elm", [5] and herbarium specimens of elms labelled 'Tortuosa' range from U. minor cultivars to hybrid cultivars, some treated as synonymous with 'Modiolina' (see 'External links' below). A large-leaved U. campestris tortuosa was described by David in Revue horticole (1846), [6] while a hybrid var. tortuosa cultivar from Louveigné, Belgium, with twisted trunk and large leaves, was described by Aigret in 1905. [7] An U. campestris suberosa tortuosa was marketed in the 1930s by the Hesse Nursery of Weener, Germany, by its description a contorted form of corky-barked field elm. [8]

Contents

Description

The tree as described by Host was small, with trunk and branches that zig-zag. He added that it is the only elm that grows freely from cuttings. [9] [2]

Cultivation

No specimens are known to survive, though two elms matching the description of 'Tortuosa', one a small-leaved field elm type and the other a large-leaved hybrid, are found in Edinburgh (2018). Ulmus tortuosa was marketed by Hovey's nursery of Boston, Massachusetts, from the 1850s (see 'Notable trees'). [10]

Putative specimens: U. minor forms

Two sinuous, zigzagging dwarf-elms (4 to 5 m tall) of the U. minor group stand in Calton Hill Park, Edinburgh's oldest public park, above the old Royal High School. U. minor is not native to Scotland, so these trees appear to be cultivars of the 'Tortuosa' type. Their small leaves recall the 1833 'Tortuosa' Host herbarium specimen. [3] [11]

Putative specimens: U. × hollandica forms

A hybrid zig-zag elm, possibly a form of 'Tortuosa' or 'Modiolina', stands beside South Trinity Rd, Edinburgh, in a position that suggests deliberate planting. [note 1] Ulmus campestris tortuosa appeared in the list of the local Goldenacre and Wardie nursery (Lawson Nursery group) in the late 19th century, [12] and Ulmus tortuosa in the Lawson's of Edinburgh lists from the 1830s. [13] A slow-growing tree (girth 1.3 m, height c.15 m), its ascending trunk zigzags over twenty times; its branches, some pendulous, also zigzag. The largish leaves, on slender shoots, have short petioles, giving a superficial resemblance to wych elm. The tree, however, suckers lightly: a second identical but smaller tree stands nearby. [14] The leaves, light suckering and samarae confirm hybrid origin, and suggest that the tree may be identical to the U. × hollandica 'Modiolina' grown at Kew, [15] once thought to be a wych cultivar, [9] and the 'Modiolina' introduced to USA. Like the latter, which "produces few seeds, and in some years none at all", [16] the Edinburgh tree is also sparsely flowering, and like l'orme tortillard it has frequent 'bosses' on trunk and branches, which sprout epicormic shoots.

Notable trees

Charles Hovey, referring to a 'Tortuosa'-type tree in the grounds of Messrs. Hovey & Co., Boston, wrote in 1876: "An elm forming one of a long row, near our daily walk, is a never-failing source of pleasure the year round. It is what I might justly call the zig-zag, or, perhaps, serpent elm. The outline of the head, which is 60 feet (18 m) high, appears quite symmetrical; but the branches which form it run in every possible direction, like huge boa constrictors curled beneath the leaves. Yet these limbs contort and twist in a regular order of their own, and only in winter, except by close examination show their peculiar character." [17] Hovey procured trees from England, Scotland and France in 1844. [17]

Notes

  1. ↑ The presence nearby of old U. pumila 'Pendula' above the same former railway cutting confirms that rare cultivars were planted in this location.

Related Research Articles

<i>Ulmus</i> Purpurea Elm cultivar

The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Purpurea', the purple-leaved elm, was listed and described as Ulmus Stricta Purpurea, the 'Upright Purpled-leaved Elm', by John Frederick Wood, F.H.S., in The Midland Florist and Suburban Horticulturist (1851), as Ulmus purpureaHort. by Wesmael (1863), and as Ulmus campestris var. purpurea, syn. Ulmus purpureaHort. by Petzold and Kirchner in Arboretum Muscaviense (1864). Koch's description followed (1872), the various descriptions appearing to tally. Henry (1913) noted that the Ulmus campestris var. purpureaPetz. & Kirchn. grown at Kew as U. montana var. purpurea was "probably of hybrid origin", Ulmus montana being used at the time both for wych elm cultivars and for some of the U. × hollandica group. His description of Kew's U. montana var. purpurea matches that of the commonly-planted 'Purpurea' of the 20th century. His discussion of it (1913) under U. campestris, however, his name for English Elm, may be the reason why 'Purpurea' is sometimes erroneously called U. procera 'Purpurea' (as in USA and Sweden.

<i>Ulmus</i> Crispa Elm cultivar

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<i>Ulmus minor</i> Propendens Elm cultivar

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Propendens', described by Schneider in 1904 as U. glabra (:minor) var. suberosa propendens, Weeping Cork-barked elm, was said by Krüssmann (1976) to be synonymous with the U. suberosa pendula listed by Lavallée without description in 1877. Earlier still, Loudon's Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum had included an illustration of a pendulous "cork-barked field elm", U. campestris suberosa. An U. campestris suberosa pendula was in nurseries by the 1870s.

<i>Ulmus minor</i> Umbraculifera Elm cultivar

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Umbraculifera' [:shade-giving] was originally cultivated in Iran, where it was widely planted as an ornamental and occasionally grew to a great size, being known there as 'Nalband' Persian: نعلبند [:the tree of the farriers]. Litvinov considered it a cultivar of a wild elm with a dense crown that he called U. densa, from the mountains of Turkestan, Ferghana, and Aksu. Non-rounded forms of 'Umbraculifera' are also found in Isfahan Province, Iran. Zielińksi in Flora Iranica considered it an U. minor cultivar.

<i>Ulmus minor</i> Rueppellii Elm cultivar

Ulmus minor 'Rueppellii' is a Field Elm cultivar said to have been introduced to Europe from Tashkent by the Späth nursery, Berlin. Noted in 1881 as a 'new elm', it was listed in Späth Catalogue 73, p. 124, 1888–89, and in subsequent catalogues, as Ulmus campestris Rueppelli, and later by Krüssmann as a cultivar.

<i>Ulmus</i> Berardii Elm cultivar

The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Berardii', Berard's Elm, was raised in 1865, as Ulmus Berardi, from seeds collected from large specimens of "common elm" growing on the ramparts at Metz, by an employee of the Simon-Louis nursery named Bérard. Carrière (1887), the Späth nursery of Berlin and the Van Houtte nursery of Gentbrugge regarded it as form of a Field Elm, listing it as U. campestris Berardii, the name used by Henry. Cheal's nursery of Crawley distributed it as Ulmus nitens [:Ulmus minor] 'Berardii'. Smith's of Worcester preferred the original, non-specific name, Ulmus 'Berardii'.

<i>Ulmus</i> Koopmannii Elm cultivar

The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Koopmannii' was cloned from a specimen raised from seed sent from Margilan, Turkestan by Koopmann to the Botanischer Garten Berlin c. 1880. Noted in 1881 as a 'new elm', it was later listed by the Späth nursery, catalogue no. 62, p. 6. 101, 1885, as Ulmus Koopmannii, and later by Krüssmann in 1962 as a cultivar of U. minor. Margilan is beyond the main range of Ulmus minor. Augustine Henry, who saw the specimens in Berlin and Kew, believed Koopmann's Elm to be a form of Ulmus pumila, a view not shared by Rehder of the Arbold Arboretum. Ascherson & Graebner said the tree produced 'very numerous root shoots', which suggests it may be a cultivar of U. minor. Until DNA analysis can confirm its origin, the cultivar is now treated as Ulmus 'Koopmannii'.

The putative Wych Elm cultivar Ulmus glabra 'Corylifolia' was first described by Host in Flora Austriaca (1827). Another cultivar of the same name is described by Hugo Zapalowicz in Conspectus Florae Galiciae Criticus (1908), but was assumed to be 'Cornuta'. Herbarium specimens confirm that more than one clone has been labelled 'Corylifolia', some with longish petioles and with fruit more typical of Ulmus × hollandica hybrids.

The Elm cultivar Ulmus 'Tiliaefolia' was first mentioned by Host in Flora Austriaca (1827), as Ulmus tiliaefolia [:linden-leaved]. The Späth nursery of Berlin distributed a 'Tiliaefolia' from the late 19th century to the 1930s as neither an U. montana hybrid nor a field elm cultivar, but simply as Ulmus tiliaefolia, suggesting uncertainty about its status. Herbarium specimens appear to show two clones, one smaller-leaved and classified as a field elm cultivar, the other larger-leaved.

The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Globosa' was first described in the Späth nursery catalogue of 1892–93. Considered "probably Ulmus carpinifolia " by Green

<i>Ulmus</i> × <i>hollandica</i> Superba Elm cultivar

The hybrid elm cultivar Ulmus × hollandica 'Superba' is one of a number of intermediate forms arising from the crossing of the Wych Elm U. glabra with a variety of Field Elm U. minor. Boulger tentatively (1881) and Green more confidently (1964) equated it with a hybrid elm cultivated in the UK by Masters at Canterbury in the early 19th century, known as "Masters' Canterbury Seedling" or simply the Canterbury Elm. Loudon examined a specimen sent by Masters and considered it a hybrid, calling it U. montana glabra major.

<i>Ulmus</i> × <i>hollandica</i> Gaujardii Elm cultivar

The hybrid elm cultivar Ulmus × hollandica 'Gaujardii', one of a number of cultivars arising from the crossing of Wych Elm U. glabra with Field Elm U. minor, was raised by the Gaujard-Rome nursery of Châteauroux, France, in the 1890s as Ulmus Gaujardii and was described in the 1898 Kew Bulletin and Wiener illustrirte Garten-Zeitung. It won first prize in the International Horticultural Exhibition in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1899 and a silver medal in the Heemstede Exhibition, The Netherlands, in 1925. From the early 20th century it was distributed by the Späth nursery of Berlin as Ulmus montana Gaujardi, and in the interwar years by the Boccard nursery of Geneva as Ulmus campestris Gaujardi. It appeared in Unsere Freiland-Laubgehölze in 1913, but without description.

<i>Ulmus minor</i> Umbraculifera Gracilis Elm cultivar

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Umbraculifera Gracilis' was obtained as a sport of 'Umbraculifera' by the Späth nursery of Berlin c.1897. It was marketed by the Späth nursery in the early 20th century, and by the Hesse Nursery of Weener, Germany, in the 1930s.

<i>Ulmus glabra</i> Latifolia Elm cultivar

The putative Wych Elm cultivar Ulmus glabra 'Latifolia' was identified in Audibert's Tonelle (1817) as U. campestrisLinn. [ = U. glabraHuds.] latifolia. The tree is reputed to have originated circa 1750 in or around Mechelen, and to have been widely planted throughout Belgium. A 1912 herbarium specimen from Oudenbosch, however, shows a hybrid leaf labelled Ulmus hollandica latifolia.

The hybrid elm cultivar Ulmus × hollandica 'Modiolina', or Wheel-hub elm, was probably the large-leaved 'Orme tortillard' first described by Duhamel in De l'exploitation des bois (1764). Poederlé (1774) identified the tree as the 'orme maigre' growing in the region that later became part of Belgium. Dumont de Courset described a small-leaved U. campestris var. modiolina, "l'orme tortillard" in 1802 – the first use of the name 'Modiolina'. 'L'orme Tortillard', also known as 'l'orme à moyeux', was considered in France to be the best elm for use by wheelwrights, its timber especially suitable for hubs of wheels. Van Houtte marketed an U. campestris modiolina (tortuosa), and Späth an U. campestris modiolina, from the late 19th century. U. campestris var. modiolinaHort was confirmed as a hybrid by Chevalier in Les Ormes de France (1942) and called U. × 'Modiolina', 'l'orme à moyeux'.

<i>Ulmus minor</i> Pendula Elm cultivar

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Pendula' was said to have been raised in Belgium in 1863. It was listed as Ulmus sativa pendula by C. de Vos in 1887, and by Boom in 1959 as a cultivar.

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Rugosa' was distributed by the Späth nursery, Berlin, in the 1890s and early 1900s as U. campestris rugosaKirchner. Kirchner's tree, like Späth's a level-branched suberose field elm, was received from Belgium in 1864 as Ulmus rugosa pendula. Kirchner stressed that it was different from Loudon's Ulmus montana var. rugosa, being "more likely to belong to U. campestris or its subspecies, the Cork-elm".

<i>Ulmus minor</i> Suberosa Elm cultivar

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Suberosa', commonly known as the Cork-barked elm, is a slow-growing or dwarf form of conspicuously suberose Field Elm. Of disputed status, it is considered a distinct variety by some botanists, among them Henry (1913), Krüssmann (1984), and Bean (1988), and is sometimes cloned and planted as a cultivar. Henry said the tree "appears to be a common variety in the forests of central Europe", Bean noting that it "occurs in dry habitats". By the proposed rule that known or suspected clones of U. minor, once cultivated and named, should be treated as cultivars, the tree would be designated U. minor 'Suberosa'. The Späth nursery of Berlin distributed an U. campestris suberosa alataKirchn. [:'corky-winged'] from the 1890s to the 1930s.

<i>Ulmus minor</i> Viminalis Elm cultivar

The field elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Viminalis' (:'willow-like'), occasionally referred to as the twiggy field elm, was raised by Masters in 1817, and listed in 1831 as U. campestris viminalis, without description. Loudon added a general description in 1838, and the Cambridge University Herbarium acquired a leaf specimen of the tree in 1866. Moss, writing in 1912, said that the Ulmus campestris viminalis from Cambridge University Herbarium was the only elm he thought agreed with the original Plot's elm as illustrated by Dr. Plot in 1677 from specimens growing in an avenue and coppice at Hanwell near Banbury. Elwes and Henry (1913) also considered Loudon's Ulmus campestris viminalis to be Dr Plot's elm. Its 19th-century name, U. campestris var. viminalis, led the cultivar to be classified for a time as a variety of English Elm. On the Continent, 'Viminalis' was the Ulmus antarcticaHort., 'zierliche Ulme' [:'dainty elm'] of Kirchner's Arboretum Muscaviense (1864).

<i>Ulmus glabra</i> Superba Elm cultivar

The wych elm cultivar Ulmus glabraHuds. 'Superba', Blandford Elm, with unusually large leaves, was raised by Gill's of Blandford Forum, Dorset, in the early 1840s as Ulmus montana superba and was quickly distributed to other UK nurseries. It was confirmed as a form of wych, and first described by Lindley in The Gardeners' Chronicle, 1845, later descriptions being added by Gill (1845) and Morren (1848), who called it U. montana var. superba. Morren had adopted the name 'Superba' from the Fulham nurseryman Osborne in 1844, who supplied him with the tree – presumably one of the nurseries supplied by Gill. Morren states that 'Superba', already in cultivation in England, was introduced to Belgium by Denis Henrard of Saint Walburge, Liège, that in 1848 it had been present in Belgium for only three years, and that this variety was the one described as 'Superba' by Osborne, whom Henrard had visited at his nursery in Fulham in September 1844. 'Blandford Elm', with leaves of the same dimensions, was soon for sale in the USA.

References

  1. ↑ Host, Nicolaus Thomas (1827). Flora Austriaca. Vol. 1. p. 330.
  2. 1 2 Nicholson, George (1888). The illustrated dictionary of gardening. Vol. 8. p. 120.
  3. 1 2 "Specimen - P06881282". Collection: Vascular plants (P). Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France). Sheet labelled U. campestris var. tortuosa, syn. U. tortuosaHost, cultivated form, Bourg-la-Reine (1935)
  4. ↑ Elwes, Henry John; Henry, Augustine (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. 7. pp. 1901 note.
  5. ↑ Elwes, Henry John; Henry, Augustine (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. 7. pp. 1894–1895.
  6. ↑ David, RevueHorticole (1845-6), p.102
  7. ↑ "Famille XV – Ulmacées". Annales des travaux publics de Belgique. 62: 1226. 1905.
  8. ↑ Hesse, Hermann Albert (1932). Preis- und Sortenliste. pp. 96–97. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  9. 1 2 Green, Peter Shaw (1964). "Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus". Arnoldia. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. 24 (6–8): 41–80. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  10. ↑ Hovey & Co., Boston, Mass., Catalogue of ornamental trees & shrubs, evergreens and climbing plants, 1855, p.5
  11. ↑ "Herbarium specimen - WAG.1852995". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet described as U. tortuosaHost (1833)
  12. ↑ The Lawson Company's List, no. IV, Forest Trees & Shrubs, Nov. 1874; Lawson Seed & Nursery Co., Edinburgh & London, p.25
  13. ↑ Loudon, J. C., Hortus lignosus londinensis (London, 1838), p.145-6
  14. ↑ Google Maps: South Trinity Rd - Google Maps, accessdate: August 15, 2016
  15. ↑ "Herbarium specimen - WAG.1852992". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet described as U. glabraHuds. var. tortuosa, but showing a hybrid leaf; "Herbarium specimen - WAG.1852991". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet described as U. scabraMill. var. tortuosa, also known as U. foliacea var. modiolina; "Herbarium specimen - WAG.1852993". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet described as U. scabraMill. var. tortuosa, also known as U. procera modiolina; "Herbarium specimen - WAG.1852990". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet described as U. glabraHuds. var. tortuosa, but showing a hybrid leaf
  16. ↑ Browne, Daniel Jay (1851). The Trees of America. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 481.
  17. 1 2 Hovey, Charles Mason (1876). "Arboretum americanum". The Gardener's Monthly and Horticulturist. 18: 194.
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