Ulmus glabra 'Purpurea'

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Ulmus glabra
Cultivar
'Purpurea'
Origin
Späth nursery, Berlin, Germany

The Wych Elm Ulmus glabra cultivar 'Purpurea' has folded, dark-purple leaves, and is probably synonymous with Atropurpurea raised at Späth's nursery in Germany. An elm of the same epithet is listed by the Morton Arboretum, Illinois, as Ulmus procera 'Purpurea', but without description, obtained in 1922 from H. Kohankie & Son, (Accession no. 593-22). A specimen at the Ryston Hall [1], Norfolk, arboretum, obtained from the Späth nursery in Berlin before 1914 ^[1] was killed by the earlier strain of Dutch elm disease in the 1930s.

In Australia, cultivars by the name of U. glabra 'Purpurea', U. procera 'Purpurea' and U. purpurea appear in old nursery catalogues dating from 1886. These cultivars are believed to by synonymous with the cultivar which is currently known there as U. hollandica × 'Purpurascens', which is probably synonymous with Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens'. This is a short-trunked tree with an open, straggly habit that grows to 20 metres or more. Shoots, fruits and leaves are purplish when young. The thick leaves, which are folded upwards, turn dark green on the upper side (paler beneath) as they mature ^[2]. 'Purpurea' was planted along the Avenue of Honour in Ballarat in 1918, but it is not known whether these trees survive.

The tree is not known to be available from nurseries, nor to have ever been introduced to North America.

Contents 1 Arboreta etc. accessions 1.1 Europe 2 Synonymy 3 References

[edit] Arboreta etc. accessions

[edit] Europe

• Brighton & Hove City Council, UK, NCCPG Elm Collection [2].

[edit] Synonymy

• ?Ulmus procera 'Purpurea': Morton Arboretum Catalogue 2006.

[edit] References

• Bean, W. J. (1981). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition. Murray, London.
• Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848-1929. Private publication, Edinburgh. [3]