Ulmus wallichiana
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| Ulmus wallichiana | ||||||||||||||
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 U. wallichiana, Withdean Park, Brighton.
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| Ulmus wallichiana Planch. |
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The Himalayan Elm Ulmus wallichiana Planch., also known as the Kashmir Elm, is a mountain tree ranging from central Nuristan in Afghanistan, through northern Pakistan and the Kashmir, to western Nepal at elevations from 800 m to 3000 m. Although dissimilar in appearance, its common name is occasionally used in error for the Cherry Bark Elm Ulmus villosa, which is also endemic to the Kashmir, but inhabits the valleys, not the mountain slopes. The Himalayan Elm grows to 30 m tall, with a broad crown featuring several ascending branches. The bark of the trunk is greyish brown and longitudinally furrowed. The leaves are elliptic-acuminate, up to 13 cm long and 6 cm broad on petioles between 5 mm and 10 mm long. The samarae are usually orbicular, up to 13 mm in diameter [1].
The species is closely related to the Wych Elm U. glabra, but has a high resistance to the fungus Ophiostoma himal-ulmi endemic to the Himalaya and the cause of Dutch elm disease there. Consequently the tree was investigated as a suitable source of anti-fungal genes for use in the Dutch hybridization programme, with the result that a frost-resistant variety was selected for propagation and breeding in the Netherlands.
Endemic to an impoverished region with no fossil fuel resources, U. wallichiana is heavily lopped for firewood, and also for fodder, leaving it in danger of extermination in some areas [2]. Elsewhere however, it has been deliberately planted near villages and farmhouses. Recognizing its predicament, efforts have been made in India to conserve the tree by drying the seeds and placing them in refrigerated storage [3]. A species of considerable commercial potential, research has also been undertaken into optimal propagation methods [4].
The tree is grown in several arboreta in the UK, but by far the largest collection is held by Brighton & Hove City Council, the NCCPG elm collection holder, which has some 60 specimens, the largest (current British Isles champions, 2006) in school grounds at Rottingdean. The tree tends to be rather short-boled in Brighton & Hove, and also readily defoliates in times of drought.
There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be available from any nurseries.
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[edit] Subspecies & varieties
There are two subspecies, wallichiana and xanthoderma, and a variety tomentosa identified by Melville & Heybroek [1], distinguished largely by variations in pubescence of the leaves and young stems.
[edit] Hybrids
[edit] Hybrid cultivars
U. wallichiana was crossed with the Exeter Elm U. glabra 'Exoniensis' in the Netherlands in the 1950s to create Clone 202. This clone was to form an essential component of the Dutch elm breeding programme in the 1960s and 1970s [5] [6]. Selfed or hybridized with U. minor or earlier Dutch hybrids, its progeny include 'Clusius', 'Dodoens', 'Lobel', and 'Plantyn'. 'Plantyn' was in turn to play a vital part in the third generation of Dutch hybrids; two selfed specimens were selected and released as 'Columella' and, much later, 'Wanoux' (Vada), while 'Plantyn' itself was crossed with U. 'Bea Schwarz' to create 'Nanguen' (Lutèce), arguably the most successful elm cultivar released to date. 'Plantyn' was also selected for use in the Italian elm breeding programme that started in the 1970s, and was crossed with varieties of the Siberian Elm U. pumila to create a number of hardy trees renown for their rapid upright growth: 'Arno', 'Plinio', and 'San Zanobi'. 'Plantyn' has also been hybridized more recently in Italy with a range of other elms, although these crosses have yet to be fully tested and named.
[edit] Arboreta etc. accessions
- Europe
- Brighton & Hove City Council, NCCPG Elm Collection [1]. UK champion: Longhill School, 17 m high, 57 cm d.b.h. [7]. Other locations include some 60 trees in Crespin Way, Hollingdean; Withdean Park (2 trees).
- Cemagref, Domaine des Barres, Nogent sur Vernisson, Loiret, France.
- Royal Botanic Garden, Wakehurst Place, UK. acc. no. 1992-2028, wild collected in western Nepal.
- Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK. acc. no. 1977-6072, area N 100, provenance unknown.
[edit] Etymology
The tree is named for the Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Melville, R. & Heybroek, H. (1971). The Elms of the Himalaya. Kew Bulletin Vol. 26(1). Royal Botanic Garden Kew, London
- ^ Maunder, M. (1988). Plants in Peril, 3. Ulmus wallichiana (Ulmaceae). Kew Magazine. 5(3): 137-140. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, London.
- ^ Phartyal, S., Thapliyal, J., Nayal, J. & Joshi, G. (2003). Seed storage physiology of Himalayan Elm (U. wallichiana): an endangered tree species of tropical highlands. Seed Science & Technology Vol. 31. International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), Bassersdorf, Switzerland.
- ^ Thakur, I.K. (1999). Vegetative propagation studies in ELM (Ulmus wallichiana planch)- A tree of high economic value. Journal of Non-Timber Forests Products, 6(1/2): 71-73. Department of Tree Improvement & Genetic Resources, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni, Solan 173230, H.P., India.
- ^ Heybroek, H. M. (1983). Resistant Elms for Europe. In Burdekin, D. A. (Ed.) Research on Dutch elm disease in Europe. For. Comm. Bull. 60. pp 108 - 113
- ^ Heybroek, H. M. (1993). The Dutch Elm Breeding Program. In Sticklen & Sherald (Eds.) (1993). Dutch Elm Disease Research, Chapter 3. Springer Verlag, New York, USA
- ^ Johnson, Owen (ed.) (2003). Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland. Whittet Press, ISBN 9781873580615.
