Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Ulmus Rubra

Size:

up to 70'-80' tall by 40' wide

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 4"-6" long, unsymmetrical at base, double-toothed, pointed at the tip; dull dark green and sand-papery above, rough beneath

Flowers:

small cluster, inconspicuous

Fruit:

rounded, wafer-shaped, called a samara

Fall Interest:

occasionally yellow; deciduous

Culture:

sun to light shade; rich, moist soil but adaptable

Disease/Insect:

Dutch elm disease, a fungus introduced about 1930 and spread by elm bark beetles

Use:

useful as shade tree but not as attractive as American elm

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark thick, dark reddish brown, with shallow furrows and broad nearly parallel ridges, with only reddish-brown layers; inner bark aromatic, mucilaginous when moistened, and sticky, and was used by Native Americans to quench thirst by chewing and as a tea to treat fevers, inflammations, wounds, sore throat; larval host for butterflies; native to Arkansas