Chestnut-leafed Elm
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| iChestnut-leafed Elm | ||||||||||||||
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 Chestnut-leafed Elm, aged 15 years
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| Ulmus castaneifolia Hemsley |
Chestnut-leafed Elm Ulmus castaneifolia (syns. U. ferruginea, U. multinervis) is a small deciduous tree found across much of China in broadleaved forests at elevations of between 500 m and 1600 m. The tree can reach a height of 20 m with a trunk of about 0.5 m d.b.h. (diameter at breast height). The bark is thick with a pronounced corky layer, and is longitudinally fissured.
The leaves are generally narrow, ranging from obovate to elliptic in shape, and are up to 15 cm long, densely hirsute when young. The wind-pollinated petal-less flowers are produced on second-year shoots in February; the samarae are mostly obovate < 30 mm x 16 mm. The branchlets are devoid of corky wings.
The species is very rare in cultivation, but is currently (2006) being assessed for its horticultural potential at the Morton Arboretum, Illinois. A specimen was planted at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, England, in 1994, and another is held by the Denver Botanic Gardens.
[edit] References
- 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. [1]
- White, J. & More, D. (2003). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
