Ulmus hybrid | |
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Details | |
Hybrid parentage | U. pumila × U. rubra |
Cultivar | 'Willis' |
Origin | USA |
The hybrid cultivar 'Willis' originated as a selection made by a Mr Minnick of Kansas simply as a hybrid. Almost certainly derived from a crossing of the Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila and the Red Elm Ulmus rubra, it was originally believed that the American parent was the American Elm Ulmus americana, not the Red Elm.
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'Willis' was described as having a smooth grey bark, large leaves similar to U. americana, and capable of very rapid growth [1].
'Willis' has not been widely tested for resistance to Dutch elm disease [2].
First marketed by the Willis Nursery Co., Ottawa, Kansas, circa 1959, [2] it is not known whether the cultivar remains in cultivation in the USA, nor whether it was ever introduced to Europe or Australasia.