Groeneveld (elm hybrid)

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The Dutch cultivar U. x hollandica Groeneveld was cloned in 1949 and released in 1960 alongside Commelin in response to the earlier, less virulent form of Dutch elm disease that afflicted Europe shortly after the First World War. Derived from a crossing of an English Wych Elm U. glabra and a French Smooth-leaved Elm U. minor subsp. minor, it produces a dense, upswept growth that initially made it popular as a street tree in the Netherlands; it was also introduced elsewhere in Europe, including Britain, in small numbers. Like all the other Dutch hybrids released before 1989, it proved to have only marginal resistance to the later, virulent form of Dutch elm disease, and consequently planting is no longer recommended.

Specimens are to be found in the UK at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and the NCCPG collection [1] held by Brighton & Hove City Council; in the USA it is grown at the Holden Arboretum (Accession no. 70-127). It was included in trials [2] in Canberra, Australia started in 1988, but has not shown promise in that environment so far.

[edit] References

• Burdekin, D. A. & Rushforth, K. D. (Revised by Webber J. F. 1996). Elms resistant to Dutch elm disease. Arboricultural Research Note 2/96. Arboricultural Advisory and Information Service, Alice Holt, Farnham, UK.
• Heybroek, H. M. (1993). The Dutch Elm Breeding Program. In Sticklen & Sherald (Eds.) (1993). Dutch Elm Disease Research, Chapter 3. Springer Verlag, New York, USA
• White, J. & More, D. (2002). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.