Plot's Elm
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| Ulmus minor var. plotii Miller |
Plot's Elm (syn. Goodyer's Elm, Lock Elm) U. minor var plotii (syn. U. plotii Druce) was a tree with a most distinctive habit. Before the advent of Dutch elm disease, to which it has proved very susceptible, this slender tree grew to a height of 30 m and was chiefly characterized by a crooked trunk curving near the summit, supporting a few short ascending branches to form a narrow, cocked crown; Richens (1968) likened its appearance to an ostrich feather. The obovate- to elliptic-acuminate leaves are small, rarely > 4 cm in length, with comparatively few marginal teeth, usually < 70. The upper surface is dull, with a scattering of minute tubercles and hairs. The samarae rarely ripen, but when mature are narrowly obovate, < 13 mm in length, with a triangular open notch. Like other forms of the Field Elm, the tree suckers freely.
The tree was first described by Goodyer in 1633. It is only found in England, where it is most commonly encountered in the Midlands, notably around the River Witham in Lincolnshire. As with other members of the Field Elm group, the taxonomy of this tree is a matter of contention, several authorities, notably Stace (1997), recognizing it as a species in its own right.
[edit] References
- Armstrong, J. V. (1992). Taxonomy of British Elms. PhD thesis. University of Cambridge, UK.
- 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.
- Coleman, M., Hollingsworth, M. L. and Hollingsworth, P. M. (2000). Application of RAPDs to the critical taxonomy of the English endemic elm Ulmus plotii Druce. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 133: 241-262.
- 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. (1968). The correct designation of the European field elms. Feddes Repertorium 79: 1-2.
- 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.
