Manchurian Elm
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| Ulmus laciniata Trautvetter |
Manchurian Elm Ulmus laciniata is a deciduous tree found throughout the broadleaved forests of the Far East, including Japan, at elevations of between 700 m and 2200 m. It is very closely related to the Wych Elm Ulmus glabra and is easily distinguished by its leaves, which are often deeply incised to form between three and seven apical lobes, giving rise to its common synonym, the 'Cut-leaf Elm' [1]. The tree can reach a height of 27 m, the trunk rarely exceeding 0.5 m d.b.h. (diameter at breast height). The bark is dark, grey brown and exfoliates in flakes. The branchlets are unwinged.
The laciniate leaves are usually obtriangular, and up to 18 cm in length. The wind-pollinated petal-less flowers are produced on second-year shoots in April, followed by elliptic < 20 mm x 14 mm samarae in May.
The species was introduced to the West in 1905, but remains uncommon in cultivation. It was comprehensively evaluated in the Netherlands in the 1950s as a potential source of anti-fungal genes for use in the Dutch elm hybridization programme, but was found intolerant of all but the most sheltered and humid conditions. Specimens planted at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and at Great Fontley Farm, Fareham, England, have confirmed the Dutch assessment. Moreover, in trials in Oklahoma, it was heavily to severely damaged by elm leaf beetles [2]. The tree is also grown at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Oxford University Botanic Garden, University of Copenhagen Botanic Garden, and in the USA at the Arnold Arboretum, Holden Arboretum, and Denver Botanic Gardens.
[edit] References
- Brookes, A. H. (2006). An evaluation of disease-resistant hybrid and exotic elms as larval host plants for the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly Satyrium w-album, Part 1. Butterfly Conservation, Lulworth, UK.
- 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. [3]
- Ware, G. (1995). Little-known elms from China: landscape tree possibilities. Journal of Arboriculture, (Nov. 1995). International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, Illinois, USA. [4].
- White, J & More, D. (2003). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
