David Elm
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 David Elm (ex Liaoning, China) leaves
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| Ulmus davidiana Planch. |
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David Elm Ulmus davidiana Planch. is a small deciduous tree widely distributed across China, Mongolia, Korea, Siberia and Japan, where it is found on wetlands along streams at elevations of between 2000 m and 2300 m. It grows to a maximum height of 15 m, with a slender trunk of no more than 0.3 m d.b.h. (diameter at breast height); the bark is longitudinally fissured. The leaves are obovate to obovate-elliptic < 10 cm x < 5 cm, with a rough upper surface. The wind-pollinated petal-less flowers are produced on second-year shoots in spring, followed by samarae that are obovate < 19 mm long by < 14 mm wide.
The tree is uncommmonly cultivated in the West, being unsuited to all but very sheltered, humid conditions, and is intolerant of ponding. Evaluated with other Chinese elms at the Morton Arboretum, Illinois it was found to have a good resistance to Dutch elm disease, elm leaf beetle, and elm yellows. It was also considered to have a remarkable resemblance to the American Elm U. americana in all but ultimate size. However, in trials conducted by Butterfly Conservation at Great Fontley Farm, Fareham, England, specimens grown from seed collected in Liaoning Province, China, often grew too rapidly on the relatively fertile soil, the narrow stem unable to bear the weight of the burgeoning crown, leaving it bending to the ground ("Pruning can help the plant result in a more structurally stable branching pattern" D'Amato & Sydnor, 2005).
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[edit] Recent testing at The Ohio State University
David Elm has shown some promise as a result of recent testing at the Ohio State University (OSU) by Drs. T.D. Sydnor and D. Struve. At OSU, the plants were cultivated in copper-lined pots and planted in a wide lawn under a powerline and in small home lawns. The tree's performance has been mixed, but shows potential. Some specimens did extremely well, while others struggled. The tree seems to perform well on disturbed sites, in calcareous (alkaline) soils, and also seems to have a better tolerance for wet soil than the literature has indicated. A number of strong saplings were cultivated that show promise. Some saplings underwent judicious pruning early on to maximize structural stability of the plant and blue-colored tree shelters were used on some plants until the stem reached a diameter of between 25 mm to 37 mm.
[edit] Arboreta etc. accessions
[edit] North America
- Arnold Arboretum, acc. nos. 5957 (wild collected), 785-80 (cult. from wild material).
- Brenton Arboretum, Dallas Center, Iowa. No details available.
- Denver Botanic Gardens, acc. no. 950870. No details available.
- Holden Arboretum, acc. no. 00-318, 3 specimens wild collected.
- Morton Arboretum, Illinois, acc. no. 427-84
[edit] Europe
- Brighton & Hove City Council, UK, NCCPG elm collection [1]
- Great Fontley Farm, Fareham, Hants. UK, Platts-2.
- Hortus Botanicus Nationalis, Salaspils, Latvia acc. no. 18095
- Oxford University Botanic Garden, UK, acc. no. 0004891.
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK, acc. no. 20021373, grown from seed collected Liaoning, China.
[edit] Nurseries
[edit] North America
[edit] Etymology
The tree is named for Father Armand David, the French missionary and naturalist who introduced the tree to France in the 19th century.
[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. [4]
- Ware, G. (1995). Little-known elms from China: landscape tree possibilities. Journal of Arboriculture, (Nov. 1995). International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, Illinois, USA. [5].
- D'Amato, N. & Sydnor, T. (2005). David Elm use for increasing biodiversity, Columbus, Ohio, USA. [6]
- Struve, D. K. and Rhodus, T. (1990). Turning copper into gold. Amer. Nurseryman, 172: 114-123.
