Ulmus × viminalis

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Ulmus × viminalis
Hybrid parentage
U. minor subsp. minor × U. minor var. plotii
Cultivar
× viminalis
Origin
England

Ulmus × viminalis Lodd. is an elm hybrid derived from the crossing U. minor subsp. minor × U. minor var. plotii Druce. It is a very graceful but slow-growing tree that can ultimately reach 20 metres high, with ascending branches and pendulous branchlets bearing sparse foliage. It has deeply serrated leaves < 50 mm long which are nearly symmetrical at the base, are long-acuminate at the tip, and have prominent white axil tufts on the undersides. The tree has been likened to Zelkova x verschaffeltii.

The variety was first described from specimens growing in an avenue and in coppice growth nearby at Hanwell in England in 1677, possibly arising from a natural hybrid that occurred from Essex to Oxfordshire. The tree features in the NCCPG elm collection [1] held by Brighton & Hove City Council, as does its cultivar Marginata (syn Argentea), which is distinguished by the mottled grey-white margins of its leaves; another cultivar is named Aurea. However, owing to susceptibility to Dutch elm disease, the tree is no longer in commercial cultivation in the UK. A third tree, Betulifolia, may be related, featuring pendulous young branchlets. Again, it is not known to remain in cultivation.

In Australia three specimens of Ulmus × viminalis, which are growing in the Benalla Botanic Gardens, have been listed on the Significant Tree Register of the National Trust.[2] They are the only known cultivated examples of the hybrid in the country. In the USA a specimen is grown at the Arnold Arboretum (Accession 499-53).

[edit] References

• Bean, W. J. (1980) Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain. 8th edition. Murray, London.
• Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848-1929. Private publication. [3]
• Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs. (1977). David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK.