Ulmus minor subsp. canescens

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Ulmus minor subsp. canescens
Ulmus canescens kz5.jpg
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens in Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus (2017)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Species:
U. minor
Subspecies:
U. m. subsp. canescens
Trinomial name
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens
(Melville) Browicz & Ziel.
Synonyms
  • Ulmus campestris var. dalmaticaBald. [1]
  • Ulmus canescensMelville

Ulmus minorsubsp.canescens is a small deciduous tree occasionally known by the common names grey elm, grey-leafed elm, and hoary elm. Its natural range extends through the lands of the central and eastern Mediterranean, from southern Italy, [2] the islands of Sicily, [3] Malta, [4] Crete, [5] Rhodes [6] and Cyprus, and through Thrace [7] to Turkey, [8] [9] and as far south as Israel, where it is now considered rare and endangered in the wild. [10] The tree is typically found amidst the comparatively humid coastal woodlands and scrublands.

Contents

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the tree remains a matter of contention; Melville originally treated the tree as a species in its own right, U. canescens, [11] while others, notably Richens, and Browicz & Ziel., sank it as a subspecies of Ulmus minor . [12] [13]

Description

The tree is comparatively small, < 20 m high; the slender trunk, its bark coarsely fissured, supporting a rounded crown. The leaves are elliptic to ovate, bluntly toothed, and densely downy on the underside when mature, imbuing them with a distinctive greyish hue. [9] The young shoots also have a whitish-grey down. [4] The tree flowers in February and March, the round samarae, < 15 mm diameter, deeply notched at the outer end, ripen in April. [14] [15]

Pests and diseases

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is highly susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

Cultivation

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is occasionally planted as a street tree in Israel, notably in Jerusalem near the Damascus Gate along the Prophets Road and Antal Ben Shaddad street. In Nazareth, a line of mature trees is found along the road leading to the Basilica. It is also planted in Jordan, especially Amman. [ citation needed ] There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.

Accessions

North America
Europe

References

  1. ↑ "Ulmus dalmatica Baldacci K000852645". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Richens, R. H., Elm (Cambridge 1983), p.18
  3. ↑ Scialabba, A., M. R. Melati, and F. M. Raimondo. "Taxonomic studies on the Sicilian elms: leaf structure of their species and hybrids." Bocconea 5.2 (1997): 493-504.
  4. 1 2 Wild Plants of Malta & Gozo - Plant: Ulmus canescens (Hoary Elm), accessdate: October 27, 2016
  5. ↑ 'Canescens' in Crete, (1) in the Apokoronas region: George Sfikas, Trees and shrubs of Greece (Athens, 2nd ed. 2001) p.140; (2) in the Aghia Irene gorge in the Temenos region: Natural Europe Project, University of Crete, Small leaved Elm, Ulmus minor subsp. canescens, Avramakis, M., europeana.eu
  6. ↑ Flore of Rhodes: Ulmus canescens - Flore of Rhodes, accessdate: October 27, 2016
  7. ↑ "Ulmus canescens Melville; specimen from Thrace K000852646". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Herbarium specimen - L.1582113". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet labelled U. minor Mill. subsp. canescens Melville; specimen from Adana, Turkey, 1959
  9. 1 2 "Herbarium specimen - E00405654". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Sheet labelled Ulmus canescens Melville; specimen from Phaselis, Turkey, 1974
  10. ↑ Flora of Israel Online: Ulmus minor Mill. | Flora of Israel Online, accessdate: October 27, 2016
  11. ↑ Melville, R. (1978). On the discrimination of species in hybrid swarms with special reference to Ulmus and the nomenclature of U. minor (Mill.) and U. carpinifolia (Gled.). Taxon 27: 345-351
  12. ↑ Richens, R. H., (1983). Elm. Cambridge, p.279
  13. ↑ Browicz & Ziel. (1977). Arbor. Kórnickie 22: 320 1977.
  14. ↑ Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain. 8th edition. Murray, UK.
  15. ↑ Melville, R. (1957). "Ulmus canescens: an eastern Mediterranean elm." Kew Bulletin: 499-502, 1957
  16. ↑ RBGE Living Collection, data.rbge.org.uk List of Living Accessions: Ulmus canescens, 20090690
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