Ulmus 'Nana'
| Ulmus | |
|---|---|
 'Nana', Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK | |
| Cultivar | 'Nana' |
| Origin | Europe |
The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Nana' is a very slow growing shrub that with time forms a small tree. It was believed for many years to be a form of Ulmus glabra and is known widely as the 'Dwarf Wych Elm'. However, the ancestry of 'Nana' has been disputed in more recent years, Melville considering the specimen once grown at Kew to have been a cultivar of Ulmus × hollandica.[1]
Description
The tree rarely exceeds 5 m in height, but is often broader.[2][3] The dark green leaves are smaller than the type, < 11 cm long by 8 cm broad. Green[4] describes it as a very distinct variety not growing above 60 cm in 10 to 12 years. A specimen at Kew was described by Henry as 'a slow-growing hemispherical bush that has not increased appreciably in size for many years'.[5]
Pests and diseases
The low height of the tree should ensure that it avoids colonisation by Scolytus bark beetles and thus remain free of Dutch elm disease.
Cultivation
The tree is still occasionally found in arboreta and gardens in the UK, and has been introduced to North America and continental Europe; it is not known in Australasia.
Notable trees
The specimen of 'Nana' in the University Parks (North Walk), Oxford, has attained a height of 6 m (2014).[6]
Synonymy
- Ulmus glabra 'Bush': Plant Buyer's Guide, ed. 5, 253, 1949, without description.
Accessions
- North America
- Arnold Arboretum. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Acc. no. 448–88
- Europe
- Alexandra Park, East Sussex, 6 m high, 38 cm dia. at 1 m from ground in 1980; possibly now lost.[7]
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Acc. no. 19021001, from Späth nursery, two trees in excellent condition (2004).
- Royal Horticultural Society Gardens Wisley. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Two specimens, no details available.
- Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Acc. nos. 1978.1680, 1978.4729
- University of Copenhagen Botanic Gardens. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. No other details available.
Nurseries
North America
None known
Europe
- Arboretum Waasland , Nieuwkerken-Waas, Belgium.
- PlantenTuin Esveld , Netherlands
References
- ↑ Melville, R. (1978). On the discrimination of species in hybrid swarms with special reference to Ulmus and the nomenclature of U. minor (Mill.) and U. carpinifolia (Gled.). Taxon 27: 345-351.
- ↑ Bean, W. J. (1981). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition. Murray, London.
- ↑ White, J. & More, D. (2003) Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
- ↑ Green, P. S. (1964). Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus. Arnoldia, Vol. 24. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University.
- ↑ Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. 1848–1929. Private publication, Edinburgh. Republished by Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- ↑ parks.ox.ac.uk/tree/alpha.htm
- ↑ Johnson, Owen (ed.) (2003). Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland. Whittet Press, ISBN 978-1-873580-61-5.