The Elm Family
What are they?
Elms form a relatively small family of trees, typically having simple, ovate leaves with serrated margins. The flowers appear early in the year, usually before the leaves and are without developed petals. Elm flowers are borne on the branches in great quantity from late February into March and are a feature of the landscape where elms of flowering size still survive in any quantity. Zelkovas are native to eastern Asia, with a discontinuous scattering species from Iran, westward to Sicily.
Where are they found?
The decimation of our native elm populations through Dutch Elm Disease since around the early 1970s has been one of the greatest, human-induced, environmental catastrophies of our era. Elms were once a major component of our landscape, strongly represented in the works of great landscape artists, including East Anglia's own John Constable. Dutch Elm Disease - a fungal infection that is readily spread by bark beetles from tree to tree - has removed full-grown elms from almost the entire landscape, redusing the majority to continue to grow as regenerating suckers in hedgerows which, upon reaching any size, soon succumb to the disease again. Wych Elm has remained strongly resistant to the disease and can still be found as a tree of woodland edge and occasionally churhcyards and roadsides. Other elms are still abundant as suckering, hedgerow plants throughout our region in arable farmland areas and in small copses and woodland edge. Zelkovas are introduced in churchyards and on roadsides.
Identification
It's very difficult to make any meaningful statement on the identification of elms in the UK at the present time, as taxonomists could barely disagree more on how we should interpret the various forms. Current publications range from seven species listed in Stace (2019) to an overwhelming 62 species recognised by Sell & Murrell (2018). While the latter view certainly has some merit, the methodology employed seems vague as described in that publication and seemingly based purely on subjective, morphological characters. As such, this page reflects the more traditional taxonomy of Stace and of the floras covering our region (though these vary a little simply because they were written at different times, when different taxonomic concepts were in play). Thus, identification is based on details of the hairs on the buds and twigs, the appearance of the winged fruits and the outline shape of typical leaves, taken from the middle of short shoots in high summer. Many elm leaves have asymmetrical sides, so measurements given are those taken from the longer side of the leaf blade to its apex (as per Stace, 2019).
Note: Identification of elms should be based on specimens that have at least reached flowering size. Sucker growths in hedgerows are not considered to be reliably identifiable. Zelkovas should be compared with hornbeams and southern beeches.
Wych Elm Ulmus glabra
Native as a non-suckering tree of woodland, but also planted in churchyards and along roadsides. Widespread and still frequent, being more resistant to disease than our other native elms. Flowers February to March. Can become a large, spreading tree to 30m in height. Leaves large, 8-16cm, coarsely textured above, asymmetrical at the base with a short petiole (3mm or less) and often broadening towards the tip to produce a shouldered or three-pointed leaf. Winged fruits hairy towards the tip. Winter buds with a scattering of rusty hairs.
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Huntingdon Elm Ulmus x vegeta
Native as a natural hybrid between Wych and Small-leaved Elms but also widely planted from commercially-produced stock. Flowers February to March. Can become a large, spreading tree, broader in the upper third, but typically seen as smaller, young growths in hedgelines. Leaves relatively large, 8-16cm, smooth (or nearly so) above, asymmetrical at the base with a petiole of 3mm or more; often broadening slightly towards the tip. Winter buds with simple, whitish hairs and sometimes a scattering of rusty hairs. A complicated group of plants, since horticulturally produced varieties may originate from different subspecies of Ulmus minor and thus may vary substantially from natural hybrids.
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Small-leaved Elm Ulmus minor subsp. minor
Native and common throughout the region as a suckering hedgerow plant. A few larger specimens survive in less accessible places, especially in woodland on sandier soil in NE Norfolk, SE Suffolk and parts of east Essex. Flowers February to March. This is just one subspecies of the highly variable Smooth-leaved Elm (Ulmus minor), a group that accounts for the vast majority of the 63 taxa recognised by Sell & Murrell (see above) and in this context is highly variable. Leaves relatively small, typically less than 10cm, smooth above (though with some hairs at first), slightly asymmetrical at the base, or more or less symmetrical; relatively narrow and long-tipped, though often broader and more rounded on sucker growths. Winged fruits smooth. Winter buds with simple, whitish hairs.
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Jersey Elm Ulmus minor subsp. sarniensis
Believed to be native in the Channel Islands but widely introduced in the UK where its narrow, columnar form made it formerly popular as a street tree. Flowers February to March. Formerly planted in East Anglian towns but probably now wiped out by disease, it produced a narrow tree with the central trunk continuing into the top of the tree. Leaves small, 5-7cm, smooth above. Winter buds with or without a scattering of rusty hairs.
The tree in the photos here was photographed in 2004. It was the last survivor of a fine row of Jersey Elms than ran along Langer Road, Felixstowe but are now sadly gone.
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English Elm Ulmus procera
Long considered native in the UK, this species has more recently been proven to have been introduced by the Romans for its value as a support for grape vines. Seemingly never common in East Anglia but scattered here and there where specimens were planted in towns or along roads. Succkers freely in hedgelines. Flowers February to March. Formerly capable of being a large, columnar tree to 30m or more in height, with plentiful epicormic growths from the lower trunk. Leaves small, 6-9cm, roughly textured above, asymmetrical at the base with a petiole of 5-8mm. Winter buds, shoots and young twigs with plentiful, white hairs.
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Dutch Elm Ulmus x hollandica
A confusing assemblage of trees that may be both of natural, hybrid origin in hedgerows and planted as a street or amenity tree. Flowers February to March. Can become a large, spreading tree with a broad crown and narrow base. Leaves variable, 7-14cm in length, coarsely textured above, typically strongly asymmetrical at the base with a rather long petiole (6-13mm). Winter buds variable but often with a scattering of rusty hairs. Identifying Dutch Elm is complicated by the presence of more recently-planted, horticultural varieties which are proving a little more resistent to disease than naturally occurring plants but which differ in their appearance and may have different parentage.
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Dutch Hybrid Elms
A collection of hybrids, rasied in commercial horticulture by crossing a range of forms that show at least some resistence to Dutch Elm Disease. Over time, a handful of highly resistent (though not fully immune) cultivated varieties have been named and marketed and any large, single, healthy-looking elm in a roadside setting or amenity space (such as parks, churchyards, village greens etc.) may well prove to be one of these modern hybrids. The cultivars 'Dodoens', 'Groenveld', 'Lutece', 'Lobel' and 'Clusius' all fall into this section, but there are many more, involving parentage from European, Asian and North American elm species.
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Sapporo Elm Ulmus 'Sapporo Autumn Gold'
A horticultural hybrid, introduced for its resistence to Dutch Elm Disease and occasionally planted as a street or amenity tree. Flowers February to March. Capable of becoming a large, spreading tree to 30m or more in height and with an open, spreading canopy, the lower branches often somewhat pendulous. Leaves relatively small and narrow, reflecting its parentage of Siberian and Japanese Elms. The narrow leaves and whispy branches give this tree a more open, feathery look compared with our other elms.
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Caucasian Zelkova Zelkova carpinifolia
(Caucasian Elm) Introduced from the Caucasian region and rarely found as an amenity tree or in churchyards and cemeteries. Flowers April to May. A large, deciduous tree to 32m in height. Leaves rather small, 3-9cm long, with blunt, rounded teeth. mature specimens are distinct in forming a multibranched, flask-shaped outline. Flowers tend to be all male in the more basal twig sections, becoming male/female in the leaf axils towards the shoot tips.
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Japanese Zelkova Zelkova serrata
Introduced from eastern Asia and occasionally found as an amenity tree or in churchyards and cemeteries. Flowers April to May. May become a large, deciduous tree to 20m in height but often seen as a smaller specimen with the branches rising at a distinctively sharp angle. Leaves narrow, long pointed, 3-12cm long, with sharp teeth. Flowers tend to be all male in the more basal twig sections, becoming male/female in the leaf axils towards the shoot tips.
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