Ulmus castaneifolia

Ulmus castaneifolia Hemsley, the chestnut-leafed elm or multinerved elm, is a small deciduous tree found across much of China in broadleaved forests at elevations of 500–1,600 metres (1,600–5,200 ft).

Ulmus castaneifolia
Chestnut-leafed elm aged 15 years, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Species:
U. castaneifolia
Binomial name
Ulmus castaneifolia
Synonyms

Description

left|140px The tree can reach a height of 20 metres (66 ft) with a trunk of about 0.5 m d.b.h. The bark is thick with a pronounced corky layer, and is longitudinally fissured. The branchlets are devoid of the corky wings common to many elms. The leaves are generally narrow, ranging from obovate to elliptic, up to 15 cm long, and densely hirsute when young. The perfect wind-pollinated apetalous flowers are produced on second-year shoots in February; the samarae are mostly obovate < 30 × 16 mm.[1][2]

  • U. castaneifolia leaves, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK
  • U. castaneifolia leaves in the Botanischer Garten, Berlin-Dahlem

Pests and diseases

Ulmus castaneifolia is resistant to Dutch elm disease and to elm leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola.[3]

Cultivation

The species is very rare in cultivation; it was one of 12 Chinese species under evaluation at the Morton Arboretum, Illinois, in 2009 by the late Dr George Ware.[4] In artificial freezing tests at the arboretum,[5] the LT50 (temperature at which 50% of tissues die) was found to be −26 °C. There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.

Notable trees

The UK TROBI champion grows at Calderstones Park, Merseyside. Another of similar dimensions grows at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, planted in 1973. [6]

Accessions
North America
Europe

References
  1. Fu, L., Xin, Y. & Whittemore, A. (2002). Ulmaceae, in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) Flora of China, Vol. 5 (Ulmaceae through Basellaceae). Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA. ISBN 1-930723-40-7
  2. White, J. & More, D. (2003). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London. ISBN 0304361925
  3. "Elm Leaf Beetle Survey". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  4. Dirr, M. (2009). 'Future Tree Selections'. Western, Spring 2009,  p.8. Western Nursery & Landscape Association, St Joseph, Missouri.
  5. Shirazi, A. M. & Ware, G. H. (2004). Evaluation of New Elms from China for Cold Hardiness in Northern Latitudes. International Symposium on Asian Plant Diversity & Systematics 2004, Sakura, Japan.
  6. Johnson, O. (2011). Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland, p. 168. Kew Publishing, Kew, London. ISBN 9781842464526.
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