Ulmus 'San Zanobi'

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ulmus hybrid
'San Zanobi', aged 4 years, Great Fontley, UK
Hybrid parentage
'Plantyn' × U. pumila 'N 15'
Cultivar
'San Zanobi'
Origin
IPP, Florence, Italy

'San Zanobi' is an elm cultivar raised by the Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante (IPP), Florence. Derived from a crossing of the Dutch hybrid 'Plantyn' and the Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila clone 'N15', it was released for sale in 2003. It is a fastigiate, monocormic tree, with glabrous, bright green leaves up to 150 mm long ^[1] ^[2]. Like its compatriot 'Plinio', the tree is not possessed of striking autumn colours, the leaves remaining green almost until they fall in late November ^[3].

'San Zanobi' has a high resistance to Dutch Elm Disease determined in field trials by artificial inoculation with the fungal pathogen, and monitoring leaf loss and dieback. The columnar shape of this tree makes it suitable for urban planting. In Italy, 'San Zanobi' begins flowering in its fifth year, and can begin suckering from roots at about the same age ^[1].

The tree is only commercially available outside Italy by mail order from Italian nurseries. Introduced to the UK by Butterfly Conservation in 2003, it is being evaluated at several sites in Hampshire. It has so far proven very fast growing on well-drained soil, increasing in height by over one metre per annum. 'San Zanobi' is also a robust, wind-resistant tree, able to free-stand at four years of age, however it is intolerant of heavy ground waterlogged in winter ^[3].

'San Zanobi' is not known to have been introduced to North America or Australasia

1 Arboreta etc. accessions
2 Nurseries
3 Etymology
4 References

[edit] Arboreta etc. accessions

Europe

Great Fontley Farm, Fareham, UK, Butterfly Conservation Elm Trials plantation, Home Field A2, J2, and Platts O9.
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK, one specimen in Plant Centre Field acc. no. 2004.0440

[edit] Nurseries

Europe

UmbraFlor [4], Spello, Italy.
Veneto Agricoltura [5]], Montecchio Precalcino, Italy.

[edit] Etymology

The hybrid is named after Saint Zenobius (San Zanobi in Italian), a saint noted for many miracles. After his death in AD 417, his body, whilst being carried from the cathedral for burial, is supposed to have glanced a dead elm, restoring the tree to life.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Santini A., Fagnani A., Ferrini F. & Mittempergher L., (2002) San Zanobi and Plinio elm trees. [1] HortScience 37(7): 1139-1141. 2002. American Society for Horticultural Science, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
^ Santini A., Fagnani A., Ferrini F., Mittempergher L., Brunetti M., Crivellaro A., Macchioni N. (2004). Elm breeding for DED resistance, the Italian clones and their wood properties.[2] Invest Agrar: Sist. Recur. For. (2004) 13 (1), 179-184. 2004.
^ ^a ^b Brookes, A. H. (2006). An evaluation of disease-resistant hybrid and exotic elms as larval host plants for the White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album, Part 1. [3] Butterfly Conservation. Lulworth, UK.