| Ulmus americana | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Cultivar | 'Pendula' |
| Origin | England |
The American Elm Ulmus americana 'Pendula' is considered probably just a forma by Green, although it was originally listed by William Aiton in Hort. Kew, 1: 320, 1789 as U. americana var. pendula, cloned in England in 1752.
NB: 'Pendula' was later confused with a pendulous variant of U. glabra.
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The tree was described as vase-shaped with branches pendulous at their extremities [1].
The clone's resistance to Dutch Elm Disease is not known, but the species is highly susceptible to the disease and Elm Yellows; it is also moderately preferred for feeding and reproduction by the adult Elm Leaf Beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola [2] [2], and highly preferred for feeding by the Japanese Beetle Popillia japonica [3] [3] [4] in the USA. U. americana is also the most susceptible of all the elms to verticillium wilt [4].
The tree is only known to have been cultivated in the UK, where only one specimen may survive at Brighton (not mentioned in the NCCPG collection list, possibly owing to confusion with 'Beebe's Weeping'), and the Netherlands.
'Pendula' was used in the Dutch elm breeding programme before World War II, but none of the progeny were of particular note and are not known to have been cultivated [5]