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

American elm bark on mature tree American elm twig with buds American elm flowers American elm flower cluster American elm leaf, showing unsymmetrical base American elm fruit American elm fruit, a samara with a notched tip American elm fruit American elm tree American elm twigs