Ulmus parvifolia

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Ulmus parvifolia
RN Ulmus parvifolia (Hilversum).JPG
Chinese elm, Hilversum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Subgenus: U. subg. Ulmus
Section: U. sect. Microptelea
Species:
U. parvifolia
Binomial name
Ulmus parvifolia
Synonyms
  • Microptelea parvifoliaSpach
  • Planera parvifoliaSweet
  • Ulmus campestris var. chinensisLoudon
  • Ulmus chinensisPersoon
  • Ulmus parvifoliaMaxim., Franch. et Savatier, Forbes & Hemsl., Shirasawa
  • Ulmus sieboldiiDaveau
  • Ulmus virgataRoxburgh

Ulmus parvifolia, commonly known as the Chinese elm [2] or lacebark elm, is a species native to eastern Asia, including China, India, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. [3] It has been described as "one of the most splendid elms, having the poise of a graceful Nothofagus ". [4]

Contents

The tree was introduced to the UK in 1794 by James Main, who collected in China for Gilbert Slater of Low Layton, Essex. [5] [6]

Chinese elm as bonsai during spring growing season. Chinese Elm April 2024.jpg
Chinese elm as bonsai during spring growing season.

Description

A small to medium deciduous or semideciduous (rarely semievergreen) tree, it grows to 10–18 m (33–59 ft) tall and 15–20 m (49–66 ft) wide with a slender trunk and crown. The leathery, lustrous green, single-toothed leaves are small, 2–5 cm long by 1–3 cm broad, [7] and often retained as late as December or even January in Europe and North America. The apetalous wind-pollinated perfect flowers are produced in early autumn, small and inconspicuous. The fruit is a samara, elliptical to ovate-elliptical, 10–13 mm long by 6–8 mm broad. [3] The samara is mostly glabrous, the seed at the centre or toward the apex, is borne on a stalk 1–3 mm in length; it matures rapidly and disperses by late autumn. The trunk has a handsome, flaking bark of mottled greys with tans and reds, giving rise to its other common name, the lacebark elm, although scarring from major branch loss can lead to large, canker-like wounds. Ploidy: 2n = 28. [6] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Many nurserymen and foresters mistakenly refer to Ulmus pumila , the rapidly growing, disease-ridden, relatively short-lived, weak-wooded Siberian elm, as "Chinese elm". This has given the true Chinese elm an undeserved bad reputation. The two elms are very distinct and different species. The Siberian elm's bark becomes deeply ridged and furrowed with age, among other obvious differences. It possesses a very rough, greyish-black appearance, while the Chinese elm's smooth bark becomes flaky and blotchy, exposing very distinctive, light-coloured mottling, hence the synonym lacebark elm for the real Chinese elm. [12]

Wood and timber

Elms, hickory, and ash all have remarkably hard, tough wood, making them popular for tool handles, bows, and baseball bats. Chinese elm is considered the hardest of the elms. Chinese elm is said to be the best of all woods for chisel handles and similar uses due to its superior hardness, toughness, and resistance to splitting. Chinese elm lumber is used most for furniture, cabinets, veneer, hardwood flooring, and specialty uses such as longbow construction and tool handles. Most commercially milled lumber goes directly to manufacturers rather than to retail lumber outlets.[ citation needed ]

Chinese elm heartwood ranges in tone from reddish-brown to light tan, while the sapwood approaches off-white. The grain is often handsome and dramatic. Unlike other elms, the freshly cut Chinese elm has a peppery or spicy odour. While it turns easily and will take a nice polish off the lathe without any finish, and it holds detail well, the fibrous wood is usually considered too tough for carving or hand tools. Chinese elm contains silica which is hard on planer knives and chainsaws, but it sands fairly easily. Like other woods with interlocking grain, planes should be kept extra sharp to prevent tearing at the grain margins. It steam-bends easily and holds screws well, but pilot holes and countersinking are needed. It tends to be a "lively" wood, tending to warp and distort while drying. This water-resistant wood easily takes most finishes and stains.[ citation needed ]

Taxonomy

Subspecies, varieties, and forms:

Pests and diseases

The Chinese elm is highly resistant, but not immune, to Dutch elm disease. It is also very resistant to the elm leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola , but has a moderate susceptibility to elm yellows. [13] In trials at the Sunshine Nursery, Oklahoma, the species was adjudged as having the best pest resistance of about 200 taxa [14] However, foliage was regarded as only "somewhat resistant" to black spot by the Plant Diagnostic Clinic of the University of Missouri. [15]

Cottony cushion scale or mealy bugs, often protected and "herded" by ants, exude sticky, sweet honeydew, which can mildew leaves and be a minor annoyance by dripping on cars and furniture. However, severe infestations on or obvious damage to otherwise healthy trees are uncommon.[ citation needed ]

In some regions of the Southern United States, a fungus known as Phymatotrichopsis omnivora is known to cause sudden death of lacebark elms when infected.[ citation needed ]

Cultivation

The Chinese elm is a tough landscape tree, hardy enough for use in harsh planting situations such as parking lots, small planters along streets, and plazas or patios. The tree is arguably the most ubiquitous elm, now found on all continents except Antarctica. It was introduced to Europe at the end of the 18th century as an ornamental and is found in many botanical gardens and arboreta. [16] [17] It was introduced to the United States in 1794, [18] and has proved very popular in recent years as a replacement for American elms killed by Dutch elm disease. The tree was distributed in Victoria, Australia, from 1857. [19] At the beginning of the 20th century, Searl's Garden Emporium, in Sydney, marketed it.[ citation needed ] Three U. parvifolia were supplied in 1902 by Späth to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. [20] [21] In New Zealand, it was found to be particularly suitable for windswept locations along the coast. The tree is commonly planted as an ornamental in Japan, [22] notably around Osaka Castle.

Ulmus parvifolia is one of the cold-hardiest of the Chinese species. In artificial freezing tests at the Morton Arboretum. [23] the LT50 (temp. at which 50% of tissues die) was found to be −34 °C (−29 °F).

Bonsai

Owing to its versatility and ability to tolerate a wide range of temperatures, light, and humidity conditions, the Chinese elm is a popular choice as a bonsai species. It is perhaps the single most widely available. It is considered a good choice for beginners because of its high tolerance of pruning. [24]

Cultivars

Numerous cultivars have been raised, mostly in North America:

Hybrid cultivars

It is an autumn-flowering species, whereas most other elms flower in the spring. Hybrids include:[ citation needed ]

Accessions

North America
Europe
Australasia

Related Research Articles

<i>Ulmus rubra</i> Species of tree

Ulmus rubra, the slippery elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America. Other common names include red elm, gray elm, soft elm, moose elm, and Indian elm.

<i>Ulmus crassifolia</i> Species of tree

Ulmus crassifoliaNutt., the Texas cedar elm or simply cedar elm, is a deciduous tree native to south-central North America, mainly in southern and eastern Texas, southern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, with small populations in western Mississippi, southwest Tennessee, and north-central Florida; it also occurs in northeastern Mexico. It is the most common elm tree in Texas. The tree typically grows well in flat valley bottom areas referred to as cedar elm flats. Its Latin name refers to its comparatively thick (crassifoliate) leaves; the common name cedar elm is derived from the trees' association with juniper trees, locally known as cedars.

<i>Ulmus pumila</i> Species of tree

Ulmus pumila, the Siberian elm, is a tree native to Asia. It is also known as the Asiatic elm and dwarf elm, but sometimes miscalled the 'Chinese elm'. U. pumila has been widely cultivated throughout Asia, North America, Argentina, and southern Europe, becoming naturalized in many places, notably across much of the United States.

<i>Ulmus davidiana <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> japonica</i> Variety of tree

Ulmus davidiana var. japonica, the Japanese elm, is one of the larger and more graceful Asiatic elms, endemic to much of continental northeast Asia and Japan, where it grows in swamp forest on young alluvial soils, although much of this habitat has now been lost to intensive rice cultivation.

<i>Ulmus castaneifolia</i> Species of tree

Ulmus castaneifoliaHemsley, the chestnut-leafed elm or multinerved elm, is a small deciduous tree found across much of China in broadleaved forests at elevations of 500–1,600 metres (1,600–5,200 ft).

<i>Ulmus laciniata</i> Species of tree

Ulmus laciniata(Trautv.) Mayr, known variously as the Manchurian, cut-leaf, or lobed elm, is a deciduous tree native to the humid ravine forests of Japan, Korea, northern China, eastern Siberia and Sakhalin, growing alongside Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Aesculus turbinata, and Pterocarya rhoifolia, at elevations of 700–2200 m, though sometimes lower in more northern latitudes, notably in Hokkaido.

<i>Ulmus macrocarpa</i> Species of tree

Ulmus macrocarpaHance, the large-fruited elm, is a deciduous tree or large shrub endemic to the Far East excluding Japan. It is notable for its tolerance of drought and extreme cold and is the predominant vegetation on the dunes of the Khorchin sandy lands in the Jilin province of north-eastern China, making a small tree at the base of the dunes, and a shrub at the top.

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

The field elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Stricta', known as Cornish elm, was commonly found in South West England, Brittany, and south-west Ireland, until the arrival of Dutch elm disease in the late 1960s. The origin of Cornish elm in the south-west of Britain remains a matter of contention. It is commonly assumed to have been introduced from Brittany. It is also considered possible that the tree may have survived the ice ages on lands to the south of Cornwall long since lost to the sea. Henry thought it "probably native in the south of Ireland". Dr Max Coleman of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, arguing in his 2002 paper on British elms that there was no clear distinction between species and subspecies, suggested that known or suspected clones of Ulmus minor, once cultivated and named, should be treated as cultivars, preferred the designation U. minor 'Stricta' to Ulmus minor var. stricta. The DNA of 'Stricta' has been investigated and the cultivar is now known to be a clone.

<i>Ulmus</i> × <i>hollandica</i> Wredei Hybrid elm cultivar

The hybrid elm cultivar Ulmus × hollandica 'Wredei', also known as Ulmus × hollandica 'Dampieri Aurea' and sometimes marketed as Golden Elm, originated as a sport of the cultivar 'Dampieri' at the Alt-Geltow Arboretum, near Potsdam, Germany, in 1875.

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

The Wych Elm cultivar Ulmus glabra 'Lutescens', commonly known as the Golden Wych Elm, arose as a sort of a wych found in the York area in the early 19th century by W. Pontey of Pontey's nursery, Kirkheaton, Huddersfield, who propagated and distributed it. The original tree he named the Gallows Elm for its proximity to a gallows near York. Loudon in The Gardener's Magazine (1839) identified it as a form of Ulmus montana, adding 'Lutescens' by analogy with Corstorphine sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus 'Lutescens'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulmus glabra 'Horizontalis'</span> Elm cultivar

The Wych Elm cultivar Ulmus glabra 'Horizontalis', commonly known as the Weeping Wych Elm or Horizontal Elm, was discovered in a Perth nursery circa 1816. The tree was originally identified as 'Pendula' by Loddiges (London), in his catalogue of 1836, a name adopted by Loudon two years later in Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum, 3: 1398, 1838, but later sunk as a synonym for 'Horizontalis'.

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

The Wych Elm cultivar Ulmus glabra 'Cornuta', in cultivation before 1845 – Fontaine (1968) gives its provenance as France, 1835 – is a little-known tree, finally identified as a cultivar of U. glabra by Boom in Nederlandse Dendrologie 1: 157, 1959.

<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 pumila</i> Pendula Elm cultivar

The Siberian Elm cultivar Ulmus pumila 'Pendula' is from northern China, where it is known as Lung chao yü shu. It was classified by Frank Meyer in Fengtai in 1908, and introduced to the United States by him from the Peking Botanical Garden as Weeping Chinese Elm. The USDA plant inventory record (1916) noted that it was a "rare variety even in China". It was confirmed as an U. pumila cultivar by Krüssmann (1962).

<i>Ulmus</i> Louis van Houtte Elm cultivar

Ulmus 'Louis van Houtte' is believed to have been first cultivated in Ghent, Belgium circa 1863. It was first mentioned by Franz Deegen in 1886. It was once thought a cultivar of English Elm Ulmus minor 'Atinia', though this derivation has long been questioned; W. J. Bean called it "an elm of uncertain status". Its dissimilarity from the type and its Belgian provenance make the 'Atinia' attribution unlikely. Fontaine (1968) considered it probably a form of U. × hollandica.

<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</i> Jacqueline Hillier Elm cultivar

The 'dwarf' elm cultivar Ulmus 'Jacqueline Hillier' ('JH') is an elm of uncertain origin. It was cloned from a specimen found in a private garden in Selly Park, Birmingham, England, in 1966. The garden's owner told Hillier that it might have been introduced from outside the country by a relative. Hillier at first conjectured U. minor, as did Heybroek (2009). Identical-looking elm cultivars in Russia are labelled forms of Siberian Elm, Ulmus pumila, which is known to produce 'JH'-type long shoots. Melville considered 'JH' a hybrid cultivar from the 'Elegantissima' group of Ulmus × hollandica. Uncertainty about its parentage has led most nurserymen to list the tree simply as Ulmus 'Jacqueline Hillier'. 'JH' is not known to produce flowers and samarae, or root suckers.

<i>Ulmus parvifolia</i> Hokkaido Elm cultivar

The Chinese Elm cultivar Ulmus parvifolia 'Hokkaido' is an older cultivar of Japanese origin.

Ulmus bergmanniana var. lasiophyllaC. K. Schneid. is endemic to China, on mountain slopes at elevations of 2100–2900 m in Gansu, Shaanxi, north-west Sichuan, south-east Xizang, and north-west Yunnan.

<i>Ulmus pumila</i> Pinnato-ramosa Elm cultivar

The Siberian elm cultivar Ulmus pumila 'Pinnato-ramosa' was raised by Georg Dieck, as Ulmus pinnato-ramosa, at the National Arboretum, Zöschen, Germany, from seed collected for him circa 1890 in the Ili valley, Turkestan by the lawyer and amateur naturalist Vladislav E. Niedzwiecki while in exile there. Litvinov (1908) treated it as a variety of Siberian elm, U. pumilavar.arborea but this taxon was ultimately rejected by Green, who sank the tree as a cultivar: "in modern terms, it does not warrant recognition at this rank but is a variant of U. pumila maintained and known only in cultivation, and therefore best treated as a cultivar". Herbarium specimens confirm that trees in cultivation in the 20th century as U. pumilaL. var. arboreaLitv. were no different from 'Pinnato-ramosa'.

References

  1. ↑ Lin, Q.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Ulmus parvifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T147481874A147620206. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T147481874A147620206.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ulmus parvifolia Jacq.". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 Fu, L., Xin, Y. & Whittemore, A. (2002). Ulmaceae, in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) Flora of China, Vol. 5 (Ulmaceae through Basellaceae). Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA; also available as Fu, L.; Xin, Y. & Whittemore, A. "Ulmus parvifolia". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs, 4th edition, 1977, David & Charles, Newton Abbot, England
  5. ↑ Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland . Vol. VII. 1848–1929. Republished 2004 Cambridge University Press, ISBN   9781108069380
  6. 1 2 Bean, W. J. (1981). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition. Murray, London.
  7. ↑ "Herbarium specimen - E00824803". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. (1909 specimen, Breslau)
  8. ↑ White, J & More, D. (2003). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
  9. ↑ "Chinese elm Ulmaceae Ulmus parvifolia". www.cnr.vt.edu. Archived from the original on 9 December 2000. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  10. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ulmus pumila L.". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "SaylorPlants.com - Chinese Elm, Lacebark Elm ( Ulmus  parvifolia )". www.saylorplants.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Leopold, D. J. (1980). "Chinese and Siberian elms". Journal of Arboriculture. 6 (7): 175–179.
  13. ↑ Mittempergher, L; Santini, A (2004). "The history of elm breeding" (PDF). Investigacion Agraria: Sistemas y Recursos Forestales. 13 (1): 161–177.
  14. ↑ "greenbeam.com - Domain Name For Sale". Dan.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Disease resistant and tolerant plant varieties, Plant Diagnostic Clinic, MU Extension". Archived from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  16. ↑ "Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. (1854) K000852632". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.; "Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. (1867) K000852633". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.; "Ulmus sieboldii Daveau (1913) K000852631". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  17. ↑ Ryston Hall Arboretum catalogue. c. 1920. pp. 13–14.
  18. ↑ "Missouri Botanical Garden bulletin". Archive.org. [St. Louis : Missouri Botanical Garden]. 29 March 1913. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  19. ↑ "Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  20. ↑ Accessions book. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 1902. pp. 45, 47.
  21. ↑ "Herbarium specimen - E00824804". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. (1902, Späth nursery); "Herbarium specimen - E00824805". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. (1902, Späth); "Herbarium specimen - E00824802". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. (1902, Späth)
  22. ↑ Hishiyama, C. (Ed.). (2018). A picture book of (Japanese) trees,  p.81. (in Japanese). Seibidoshuppan, Japan. ISBN   9784415310183
  23. ↑ Shirazi, A. M. & Ware, G. H. (2004). Evaluation of New Elms from China for Cold Hardiness in Northern Latitudes. International Symposium on Asian Plant Diversity & Systematics 2004, Sakura, Japan.
  24. ↑ D'Cruz, Mark (11 February 2020). "Ma-Ke Bonsai Care Guide for Ulmus parvifolia". Ma-Ke Bonsai. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  25. ↑ "Brooklyn Botanic Garden" . Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "Fullerton Arboretum | Cal State Fullerton". Fullertonarboretum.org. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  27. ↑ "The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania". upenn.edu. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  28. ↑ http://www.usna.usda.gov/index.htm [ permanent dead link ]
  29. ↑ "List of plants in the {elm} collection". Brighton & Hove City Council. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  30. ↑ "Welcome to Cambridge Botanic Garden - Find Out More". Cambridge Botanic Garden. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  31. ↑ Johnson, Owen (ed.) (2003). Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland. Whittet Press, ISBN   978-1-873580-61-5.
  32. ↑ "tba.ee". www.tba.ee. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  33. ↑ "The Forestry Commission - The National Arboreta". forestry.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  34. ↑ "Eastwoodhill - National Arboretum of New Zealand". eastwoodhill.org.nz. Archived from the original on 11 March 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
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