Siberian Elm
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| Ulmus pumila L. |
Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila L. is native to Turkestan, eastern Siberia, Mongolia, Tibet, northern China, India (northern Kashmir) and Korea. It is also called Asiatic Elm, Dwarf Elm and (erroneously) Chinese Elm. It has also been widely cultivated throughout Asia, North America and, to a lesser extent, southern Europe.
It is usually a small to medium-sized, often bushy, tree growing to 10 - 20 m tall, with a trunk up to 80 cm d.b.h. (diameter at breast height). The variety arborea from Turkestan is more handsome, growing to 30 m with a broad, rounded crown. The leaves are deciduous in cold areas, but semi-evergreen in warmer climates, < 7 cm long and < 3 cm broad, with an oblique base and a coarsely serrated margin, changing from dark green to yellow in autumn.
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[edit] Ecology
The Siberian elm has a high sunlight requirement and is not shade-tolerant. With adequate light it exhibits rapid growth. It is also fairly intolerant of wet ground conditions, growing better on well-drained soils. It is very resistant to drought and severe cold, and is able to grow on poor soils. Like other elms, this tree's seeds are wind-dispersed, and also like other elms it is highly susceptible to damage from many insects and parasites, including the elm leaf beetle, powdery mildew, cankers, aphids, and leaf spot.
[edit] Invasiveness
In North America it has become an invasive species from Utah east to Kansas and north to Ontario. It is found in abundance along railroads and in abandoned lots and on disturbed ground. The gravel along railroad beds provides ideal conditions for its growth: well-drained, nutrient poor soil, and high light conditions, and these beds provide corridors which facilitate its spread. Owing to its high sunlight requirements, it seldom invades mature forests, and is primarily a problem in cities and open areas.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
It was successfully planted in great numbers in shelter belts acoss the prairies in the aftermath of the Dustbowl disasters, owing to its rapid growth and tolerance for drought and cold, but it later proved susceptible to various maladies. As an ornamental it is a very poor tree, tending to be short-lived, with brittle wood and poor crown shape. Its seedlings also become a problem. The tree was described by horticultural writer Dr Michael Dirr as "one of, if not the, world's worst trees...a poor ornamental that does not deserve to be planted anywhere". It was also introduced into Spain in the 16th century, where it has naturally hybridized with the Field Elm U. minor. In the UK, its popularity has been chiefly as a bonsai subject, and mature trees are largely restricted to botanical institutions.
[edit] Cultivars
The Siberian Elm is most notable for its high resistance to Dutch elm disease, and numerous selections have been made to produce hardy ornamental cultivars:
- Ansaloni, Aurescens, Chinkota, Dropmore, Green King, Hansen, Harbin, Koopmannii, Manchu, Mr. Buzz, Park Royal, Pendula, Pyramidalis Fiorei, Variegata.
[edit] Hybrid cultivars
Valued as a source of anti-fungal genes, the species has also been widely hybridized in the USA and Italy to create robust trees of more native appearance with high levels of resistance to Dutch elm disease:
- Arno, Cathedral, Commendation™, Coolshade, Fiorente, ? Hamburg, Homestead, Kansas Hybrid, Lincoln, New Horizon, Plinio, Regal, Rosehill, San Zanobi, Urban, Vanguard™, Willis.
[edit] Arboreta etc. accessions
[edit] North America
- Arnold Arboretum, acc. nos. 17923, 638-79, 673-87.
- Denver Botanic Gardens, acc. no. 900534.
- Holden Arboretum, acc. nos. 99-868, 72-218
- Longwood Gardens, acc. no. 1962-0512.
- Morton Arboretum, acc. nos. 542-49, 325-70, 53-74, 172-U.
[edit] Europe
- Brighton & Hove City Council, UK, NCCPG Elm Collection
[1].
- Hortus Botanicus Nationalis, Salaspils, Latvia acc. nos. 18162,3,4.
- Royal Botanic Garden, Wakehurst Place, UK, acc. no. 2000-4449.
- Copenhagen University, Botanic Garden, one specimen, no details available.
[edit] Australasia
- Alma Park, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, one specimen, listed on the National Trust of Victoria's Significant Tree Register.
[edit] Nurseries
[edit] North America
- Cumberland Mountain Nursery, Beersheba Springs, TN. [2]
- Mingo Nursery, Winchester, TN. [3]
[edit] Europe
- Beeches Nursery, Saffron Walden, UK, [4].
- Jardineria Sils [5], Sils, Girona, Spain.
- Norfields, Usk, Monmouthshire, UK, [6].
- Weasdale Nursery, Kirkby Stephen, UK, [7]].
[edit] Australasia
- Established Tree Planters Pty. Ltd., Wandin, Victoria, Australia. [8]
[edit] Synonymy
- Ulmus campestris L. var. pumila: (Linnaeus) Maximowicz.
- Ulmus manshurica Nakai
- Ulmus pumila var. genuina: Skvortsov.
- Ulmus pumila var. microphylla: Persoon
[edit] References
- Dirr, M. (1975). Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing LLC. Champaign, Illinois.
- Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848-1929. Private publication. [9]
- 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. [10]
- Huxley, A. (1992). The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.
- National Audubon Society (2002). Field Guide to North American Trees, Western Region, p. 419-420.
- Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees. Collins.
