In response, disease-resistant cultivars have been developed, capable of restoring the elm to forestry and landscaping. American Elm is a deciduous tree that may grow 80 to 100 feet tall. Brasier, C. M. (1996). New York City's Central Park is home to approximately 1,200 American elm trees, which constitute over half of all trees in the park. It is caused by phytoplasmas which infect the phloem (inner bark) of the tree. [1] These trees flourished and spread over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, presently ranging southward in the Middle East to Lebanon, and Israel,[2] and across the Equator in the Far East into Indonesia.[3]. [68] When the Sibyl of Cumae leads Aeneas down to the Underworld, one of the sights is the Stygian Elm: Virgil refers to a Roman superstition (vulgo) that elms were trees of ill-omen because their fruit seemed to be of no value. [1] After pollination, seeds of spring-flowering elms ripen and fall at the start of summer (June); they remain viable for only a few days. Aside from references literal and metaphorical to the elm and vine theme, the tree occurs in Latin literature in the Elm of Dreams in the Aeneid. The Chinese or Lacebark elm is also more resistant to the disease. In unfavourable seasons elm seeds are usually sterile. Santini, A., Pecori, F., Pepori, A. L., Ferrini, F., Ghelardini, L. (In press). Botanists who study elms and argue over elm identification and classification are called pteleologists, from the Greek πτελέα (:elm).[6]. Biggerstaffe, C., Iles, J. K., & Gleason, M. L. (1999). [50], As fossil fuel resources diminish, increasing attention is being paid to trees as sources of energy. [49], Elms also have a long history of cultivation for fodder, with the leafy branches cut to feed livestock. Susceptibility of native French elm clones to Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. The leaves are oblong and the flowers are brownish-purple. Younger American elms that have been planted in Central Park since the outbreak are of the DED-resistant 'Princeton' and 'Valley Forge' cultivars. The American Elm is botanically called Ulmus americana. [5] A large number of synonyms have accumulated over the last three centuries; their currently accepted names can be found in the list List of elm Synonyms and Accepted Names. Leaves are typically 4 to 6 inches long with feather-like veins, double serrate margins and an oblique base (Figure 13). [13] This very aggressive disease, with no known cure, occurs in the Eastern United States, southern Ontario in Canada, and Europe. Pages 20-28 in: Ware, G. (1995). [80] By contrast, a famous Parisian elm associated with the Ancien Régime, L'Orme de Saint-Gervais in the Place St-Gervais, was felled by the revolutionaries; church authorities planted a new elm in its place in 1846, and an early 20th-century elm stands on the site today. [62][63][64] The story is the subject of a poem by Antiphilus of Byzantium (1st century AD) in the Palatine Anthology: Protesilaus had been king of Pteleos (Πτελεός) in Thessaly, which took its name from the abundant elms (πτελέoι) in the region. Elm is also prized by bowyers; of the ancient bows found in Europe, a large portion are elm. Oliver Rackham[4] describes Ulmus as the most critical genus in the entire British flora, adding that 'species and varieties are a distinction in the human mind rather than a measured degree of genetic variation'. Elm has been listed as one of the 38 substances that are used to prepare Bach flower remedies,[53] a kind of alternative medicine. [9] All species are tolerant of a wide range of soils and pH levels but, with few exceptions, demand good drainage. Choose elm tree varieties that provide better tolerance or resistance to Dutch elm disease. How to Grow Elm Trees: Elm trees grow best in rich, well-drained soil and full sun. ", Pajares, J. [22] However this possibility has not been conclusively proven. Elm tree bark: American elm bark is grayish-brown, with deep diamond-shaped fissures, and broad ridges. In Italy, the Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante is (2012) in the process of releasing to commerce very fast-growing elm cultivars, able to increase in height by more than 2 m (6 ft) per annum. Moreover, several exported to northwestern Europe have proven unsuited to the maritime climate conditions there, notably because of their intolerance of anoxic conditions resulting from ponding on poorly drained soils in winter. Elm leaves are alternate, with simple, single- or, most commonly, doubly serrate margins, usually asymmetric at the base and acuminate at the apex. The native range of the American elm. Ulmus wallichiana (Ulmaceae). japonica) was widely planted as a street tree. Photo provided by Michigan DNR. | Flora of Israel Online, Feeding responses by Scolytus scolytus to twig bark extracts from elms, "Seven Ulmus minor clones tolerant to Ophiostoma novo-ulmi registered as forest reproductive material in Spain", Elm breeding for DED resistance, the Italian clones and their wood properties, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0134:book=6:card=414&highlight=elm, "An elm tree and three sisters (Book Review)", L'Orme de La Madeleine, giuseppemusolino.it, "Late 19th and early 20th-century photos of Elm species in Elwes & Henry's, Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars, A. Ross Central Park = Central Park Splendor, International Federation of Building and Wood Workers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elm&oldid=992738119#Wood, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the Encyclopedia Americana with a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the New International Encyclopedia, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia with a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from Collier's Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 December 2020, at 21:07. [83] After the Greek Revolution of 1821–32, a thousand young elms were brought to Athens from Missolonghi, "Sacred City of the Struggle" against the Turks and scene of Lord Byron's death, and planted in 1839–40 in the National Garden. The two subspecies have now hybridized in Europe where their ranges have overlapped. American Elm (Ulmus americana) American Elm is a common large tree of bottomland forests. For 'specimen' urban elms, grafting to wych-elm root-stock may be used to eliminate suckering or to ensure stronger root-growth. Brasier, C. M. & Mehotra, M. D. (1995). In a chance event linking elms and revolution, on the morning of his execution (30 January 1649), walking to the scaffold at the Palace of Whitehall, King Charles I turned to his guards and pointed out, with evident emotion, an elm near the entrance to Spring Gardens that had been planted by his brother in happier days. Other articles where American elm is discussed: elm: Major species: The American elm (Ulmus americana), of eastern North America, may grow 24 to 30 metres (about 80 to 100 feet) tall. The beetle was accidentally introduced to North America from Europe. Optimal conditions occur after a late warm spring. Lebanon’s stately, centuries-old American elm tree, believed to be the only one left in the city, is getting rejuvenated. 'Bladder' leaf-galls on elm leaves (aphid Eriosoma lanuginosum), Italy. A., García, S., Díez, J. J., Martín, D. & García-Vallejo, M. C. 2004. Pinon J., Husson C., Collin E. (2005). It is caused by phytoplasmaswhich infect the phloem (inner bark) of the tree. [87][88], Elm propagation methods vary according to elm type and location, and the plantsman's needs. Princeton Elm is an American Elm selected for its vigorous, upright symmetrical habit. The tree disease was first found in America in 1930 and was thought to have entered the country via elm logs imported from Europe for the manufacture of veneer in the plywood industry. In North America, there are three species of elm bark beetles: one native, Hylurgopinus rufipes ("native elm bark beetle"); and two invasive, Scolytus multistriatus ("smaller European elm bark beetle") and Scolytus schevyrewi ("banded elm bark beetle"). According to the Fact Sheet on American Elm - USDA Forest Service ", Once a very popular and long-lived (300+ years) shade and street tree, American Elm suffered a dramatic decline with the introduction of Dutch elm disease, a fungus spread by a bark beetle. Mature trees reach 80 to 100+ feet in height with some as tall as 125 feet. Liberty Elms were also planted in other countries in Europe to celebrate their revolutions, an example being L'Olmo di Montepaone, L'Albero della Libertà (:the Elm of Montepaone, Liberty Tree) in Montepaone, Calabria, planted in 1799 to commemorate the founding of the democratic Parthenopean Republic, and surviving until it was brought down by a recent storm (it has since been cloned and 'replanted'). The classification adopted in the List of elm species, varieties, cultivars and hybrids is largely based on that established by Brummitt. (2005). These elms grew to be the tallest in the known world; but when their topmost branches saw far off the ruins of Troy, they immediately withered, so great still was the bitterness of the hero buried below, who had been loved by Laodamia and slain by Hector. DED is caused by a micro-fungus transmitted by two species of Scolytus elm-bark beetle which act as vectors. Luteola, which can decimate foliage, and in areas with especially nutrient-rich.! 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