Ulmus 'Wentworthii'
| Ulmus | |
|---|---|
 'Wentworth Elm', RBG Edinburgh, died circa 2000 (DED). | |
| Cultivar | 'Wentworthii' |
| Origin | Unknown |
Ulmus 'Wentworthii', commonly known as the Wentworth Elm, is a cultivar with a distinctive weeping habit which appears to have been introduced to cultivation towards the end of the 19th century. A putative hybrid, little is known of its history; indeed, the tree is not mentioned in either Elwes & Henry's [1] or Bean's [2] classic works on British trees. The earliest known references are German and Dutch, the first by de Vos [3] in 1890. At about the same time, the tree was offered for sale by the Späth nursery [4] of Berlin, suggesting it was, in spite of its very English name, of German origin (see Etymology).
The only known references to the provenance of the Wentworth Elm are two found in the Ulmus 'Names' list of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, where it is identified as a hybrid of the Huntingdon Elm Ulmus × hollandica 'Vegeta' and Plot's Elm Ulmus minor var. plotii (RBGE ref. no. 32931). However, the Royal Botanic Garden specimen bore no trace of Plot's elm parentage in either form or leaf. Melville dismissed the Wentworthii Pendula growing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as simply U. × vegeta [5] .
Description
The mature Wentworth Elm in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was a graceful, bell-shaped tree with a straight bole clear to 3 m with latticed bark typical of 'Vegeta', supporting fan-shaped arching branches, the outer ones pendulous. The leaves were similar to 'Vegeta' in shape and texture but much larger, up to 18 cm [7 inches] long.[6] The tightly-clustered, apetalous wind-pollinated flowers are bright red, and appear in early spring.
Pests and diseases
The tree is susceptible to Dutch elm disease.
Cultivation
Probably extinct; the few known specimens held at Kew Gardens and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh succumbed to DED towards the end of the 20th century. The tree is not known to have been introduced to North America or Australasia.
Etymology
The tree is possibly named for Wentworth Woodhouse, the largest Classical house in Britain, or the architect of its grounds, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham,[7] or for the nearby Wentworth Castle. However, there is no recorded association of the tree with the estate and it may, in view of its predominant German association, have been named for Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1672–1739), Queen Anne's ambassador to the Prussian court, a much esteemed figure in Berlin during the wars with Louis XIV of France.
Synonymy
- Ulmus campestris wendworthiensis Hort.: Schelle in Beissner et al., Handb. Laubh.-Benenn. 84, 1903.
- Ulmus campestris wentworthiensis: Späth nursery, (Berlin, Germany), Cat. 143, p. 135, 1910–11.
- Ulmus campestris 'Wentworthii': Dippel , Handb. Laubh. 2: 24, 1892.
- Ulmus wentworthii pendula: C. de Vos , Handboek, Supplement, 16, 1890.
References
- ↑ Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. 1848–1929. Private publication. Republished by Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- ↑ Bean, W. J. (1981). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition. Murray, England.
- ↑ de Vos, C. Handboek, Supplement, 16, 1890.
- ↑ Späth nursery, Catalogue 143, p. 135, 1910–11. Berlin, Germany.
- ↑ Green, P. S. (1964). Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus. Arnoldia, Vol. 24. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University
- ↑ Photograph of 'Wentworth' leaves in Kew in Gerald Wilkinson, Epitaph for the Elm, Hutchinson, London 1978 (ISBN 0099212803 / 0-09-921280-3)
- ↑ Binney, M. (2010), Arcadia in Peril. Country Life, London, February 24, 2010.