Ulmus minor subsp. minor
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 Smooth-leafed Elm at East Coker, Somerset, 2008
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| Ulmus minor subsp. minor Richens |
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Ulmus minor subsp. minor Richens, the Smooth-leafed Elm or Narrow-leafed Elm is a subspecies of the Field Elm native to southern Europe and Asia Minor (including Iran). It is believed to have been introduced to northern Europe, including England, by Man during the Bronze Age [1].
It is a deciduous tree that once commonly grew < 35 m tall, its Latin synonym carpinifolia alluding to the superficial similarity of the leaves to those of Hornbeam Carpinus sp., while the common names contrast the smooth upper surface and narrowness of the leaves with those of the Wych Elm, which are rough and broad[2] [3]. The Smooth-leafed Elm is susceptible to Dutch elm disease, but is a highly variable tree and many mature specimens still survive in England, notably in East Anglia. This should not imply an innate resistance, as many other factors are involved in the field [4] . As the tree suckers readily, its genetic resources are not considered endangered [5].
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[edit] Notable trees
The largest recorded tree in the UK grew at Amwell, Herts., measuring 40 m in height and 228 cm d.b.h. in 1911 [6]. The two largest known trees surviving in 2008 are at Termitts Farm in Essex (25 m high, 145 d.b.h.) and Melchbourne, Beds., (147 cm d.b.h.) [7].
A tree over 650 years old survives in the centre of Biscarrosse south of Bordeaux. Isolated amidst the heaths and pine forests of the Landes, it has remained undiscovered by disease-carrying beetles. The tree is now a wreck; the trunk, almost 3m in diameter, is completely hollow and supports just a few heavily pollarded branches[4].
[edit] Cultivars
Numerous cultivars have been raised in Europe since the 18th century, although most are now probably lost to cultivation:
- Albo-dentata, Amplifolia, Biltii, Concavaefolia, Cucullata, Dijkwel, Erecta, Folia Alba-punctata, Hoersholmiensis, Holmstruph, Hunnybunii, Koopmannii, Laciniata, Lanuginosa, Latifolia, Microphylla Purpurea, Microphylla Rubra, Pendula, Picturata, Propendens, Purpurascens, Reverti, Rueppellii, Schuurhoek, Silvery Gem, Sowerbyi, Tortuosa, Umbraculifera, Umbraculifera Gracilis, Variegata (Variegated Smooth-leafed Elm), Virgata
[edit] Hybrids and hybrid cultivars
The tree's natural range generously overlaps that of Wych Elm Ulmus glabra to the north, and readily hybridizes with it to produce the so-called 'Dutch Elm' Ulmus x hollandica, while in Spain it has also naturally hybridized with the Siberian Elm U. pumila introduced in the 16th century. The tree has also featured strongly in artificial hybridization experiments in Europe and to a lesser extent in the USA. Most of the European research was based at Wageningen in the Netherlands until 1992, whence a number of hybrid cultivars have been commercially released since 1960. The earlier trees were raised in response to the initial Dutch elm disease pandemic that afflicted Europe after the First World War, and were to prove vulnerable to the much more virulent strain of the disease that arrived in the late 1960s. However, further research eventually produced several trees immune to disease that were released after 1989 [8].
[edit] Hybrids
[edit] Hybrid cultivars
- Alba, Angustifolia, Arno, Aurea, Belgica (Belgian Elm), Cinerea, Clusius, Columella, Commelin, Dampieri, Dauvessei, Daveyi (Davey Elm), Den Haag, Dumont, Eleganto-Variegata, Fiorente, Fjerrestad, Frontier, Fulva, Gaujardii, Groeneveld, Haarlemensis, Hillieri, Homestead, Lobel, Major (Dutch Elm), Macrophylla Aurea, Marginata, Microphylla, Modiolina, Muscaviensis, Nanguen (LUTECE), Pioneer, Plantyn, Plinio , Pulverulenta, Recerta, San Zanobi, Scampstoniensis, Serpentina, Smithii (Downton Elm), Superba, Tricolor, Urban, Vegeta (Huntingdon Elm), Vegeta (Chichester Elm), Virens (Kidbrook Elm), Viscosa, Warnoux (VADA), Wredei (Golden Elm), Ypreau.
[edit] Arboreta etc. accessions
[edit] North America
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden [5], New York, acc. nos. 350001, X02487 (as U. carpinifolia).
- Dawes Arboretum [6], Newark, Ohio. 3 trees, listed as U. carpinifolia, no acc. details available.
[edit] Europe
- Brighton & Hove City Council, NCCPG elm collection holders.
- Royal Botanic Garden, Wakehurst Place, as U. carpinifolia Gled., acc. nos. 1975-6201, 1977-6682, collected by Melville.
[edit] Nurseries
[edit] North America
None known
[edit] Europe
[edit] Australasia
- Established Tree Planters Pty. Ltd., Wandin, Victoria, Australia. [10], as U. carpinifolia.
[edit] References
- ^ Richens, R. H. (1983). Elm. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Stace, C. A. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ White, J. & More, D. (2003). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
- ^ Forestry Commission. (2008). Dutch elm disease in Britain. [1]
- ^ Collin, E., Bilger, I., Eriksson, G. & Turok, J. (2000). The conservation of elm genetic resources in Europe, in Dunn, C. P., (Ed.) (2000) The Elms: Breeding, Conservation and Disease Management. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, USA.
- ^ Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848–1929. Private publication, Edinburgh. [2]
- ^ Tree Register Of the British Isles (TROBI) [3]
- ^ Heybroek, H. (1993). The Dutch elm breeding program. In Sticklen, M. & Sherald, J. (Eds). Dutch Elm Disease Research. Cellular and Molecular Approaches. Springer-Verlag, New York.
