Cornish Elm

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iCornish Elm

Cornish Elm. E. Collin, (Cemagref), 1996, Finistere, France

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Ulmaceae
Genus:	Ulmus
Species:	U. minor
Subspecies:	U. minor angustifolia

Trinomial name

Ulmus minor subsp. angustifolia
Miller, (Weston), Stace

The Cornish Elm U. minor Mill. subsp. angustifolia (Weston) Stace (syns U. minor var. cornubiensis Richens, U. stricta Lindley) was, before the advent of Dutch elm disease, a tall, slender, slow-growing tree once common across much of south-west England, southern Ireland, and Brittany. Growing to over 30 m, it was characterized by a long, straight trunk culminating in a narrow fan-shaped crown comprising short, straight, ascending branches.

The leaves are small, obovate to oval, typically acuminate at the apex, < 60 mm long by 35 mm broad with a dark green upper surface, glossy and smooth. The reddish petal-less flowers occur in clusters of between 15 and 20 on very short pedicels. The samarae rarely ripened in England, but when mature were very similar to those of the Field Elm group generally, being mostly obovate, < 16 mm by 10 mm. Again, like others of the species, propagation was usually by suckers, which the tree produced copiously.

The origin of the Cornish Elm remains a matter of contention; commonly assumed to have been introduced from Brittany by Man, it is also considered possible that it may have survived the Ice Ages on lands to the south of Cornwall long since lost to the sea. Certainly, its current distribution owes much to man's activities. The tree was traditionally considered the best choice for providing shelter along the Cornish coast, moreover its timber was much prized for its strength, and commonly used in wheel and wagon construction.

No mature specimens are known to have survived the current Dutch elm disease pandemic in England, but suckers remain a common component of hedgerows, and thus the genetic resources of this subspecies are not considered endangered.

[edit] References

Armstrong, J. V. & Sell, P. D. (1996). A revision of the British elms (Ulmus L., Ulmaceae): the historical background. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 120: 39-50.
Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848-1929. Private publication. [1]
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.
Richens, R. H. (1983). Elm. Cambridge University Press.
Stace, C. A. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press.
White, J. & More, D. (2002). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.