Arkansas Tree Database
American Elm
American Elm
Scientific name:
Ulmus Americana
Size:
100' tall by 100' wide
Leaves:
alternate, simple, 3"-6" long, unsymmetrical at base with one side rounded and one wedge-shaped, double-toothed, smooth above, pointed at the tip
Flowers:
small in drooping clusters, not showy; February-March
Fruit:
small, rounded, wafer-shaped, notched at tip, called a samara, in clusters; March-April
Fall Interest:
yellow; deciduous
Culture:
sun to partial sun; rich, moist soil but adaptable
Disease/Insect:
Dutch elm disease, a fungus introduced about 1930 and spread by elm bark beetles
Use:
vase shape with high arching branches makes the ideal street tree if not for pests
Cultivars:
'Liberty,' 'Valley Forge' and others with resistance to Dutch elm disease
Notes:
bark thick, ashy gray to gray, with irregular, broad, flat-topped, interlacing ridges; an incision in the bark will reveal alternate layers of red and yellow; in the open, trunk forks once or more near the ground, giving the tree its vase-like or inverted conical shape; larval host for butterflies; native to Arkansas
Resources:
Click thumbnail to enlarge images