Ulmus minor subsp. canescens

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is a small deciduous tree occasionally known by the common names grey elm, grey-leafed elm, and hoary elm. Its natural range extends through the lands of the central and eastern Mediterranean, from southern Italy,[1] the islands of Sicily,[2] Malta,[3] Crete,[4] Rhodes[5] and Cyprus, to Turkey,[6] and as far south as Israel, where it is now considered rare and endangered in the wild.[7] The tree is typically found amidst the comparatively humid coastal woodlands and scrublands.

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens in Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus (2017)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Species:
U. minor
Subspecies:
U. m. subsp. canescens
Trinomial name
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens
(Melville) Browicz & Ziel.
Synonyms
  • Ulmus campestris var. dalmatica Bald.
  • Ulmus canescens Melville

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the tree remains a matter of contention; Melville originally treated the tree as a species in its own right, U. canescens,[8] while others, notably Richens, and Browicz & Ziel., sank it as a subspecies of Ulmus minor.[9][10]

Description

The tree is comparatively small, < 20 m high; the slender trunk, its bark coarsely fissured, supporting a rounded crown. The leaves are elliptic to ovate, bluntly toothed, and densely downy on the underside when mature, imbuing them with a distinctive greyish hue.[11] The young shoots also have a whitish-grey down.[12] The tree flowers in February and March, the round samarae, < 15 mm diameter, deeply notched at the outer end, ripen in April.[13][14]

  • Bark and young leaves, Antal Ben Shaddad, Jerusalem
  • Samarae, Plain of Esdraelon, Israel
  • Samarae, Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus
  • Bark, Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus
  • New leaves of same

Pests and diseases

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is highly susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

Cultivation

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is occasionally planted as a street tree in Israel, notably in Jerusalem near the Damascus Gate along the Prophets Road and Antal Ben Shaddad street. In Nazareth, a line of mature trees is found along the road leading to the Basilica. It is also planted in Jordan, especially Amman. There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.

Accessions
North America
Europe

References
  1. Richens, R. H., Elm (Cambridge 1983), p.18
  2. Scialabba, A., M. R. Melati, and F. M. Raimondo. "Taxonomic studies on the Sicilian elms: leaf structure of their species and hybrids." Bocconea 5.2 (1997): 493-504.
  3. Plant: Ulmus canescens (Hoary Elm): Wild Plants of Malta & Gozo - Plant: Ulmus canescens (Hoary Elm), accessdate: October 27, 2016
  4. 'Canescens' in Crete, (1) in the Apokoronas region: George Sfikas, Trees and shrubs of Greece (Athens, 2nd ed. 2001) p.140; (2) in the Aghia Irene gorge in the Temenos region: Natural Europe Project, University of Crete, europeana.eu https://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/2023901/content_7af226a0_c461_4c99_8ce8_9de4e41fa3ac.html Small leaved Elm, Ulmus minor subsp. canescens | Avramakis, M.
  5. Flore of Rhodes: Ulmus canescens - Flore of Rhodes, accessdate: October 27, 2016
  6. 'Canescens' in Turkey, "Herbarium specimen - E00405654". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
  7. Flora of Israel Online: Ulmus minor Mill. | Flora of Israel Online, accessdate: October 27, 2016
  8. Melville, R. (1978). On the discrimination of species in hybrid swarms with special reference to Ulmus and the nomenclature of U. minor (Mill.) and U. carpinifolia (Gled.). Taxon 27: 345-351
  9. Richens, R. H., (1983). Elm. Cambridge, p.279
  10. Browicz & Ziel. (1977). Arbor. Kórnickie 22: 320 1977.
  11. Herbarium leaf-specimen, with rule: "Herbarium specimen - E00405654". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
  12. Diagnostic photographs of 'Canescens' in Malta: Hoary elm, maltawildplants.com
  13. Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain. 8th edition. Murray, UK.
  14. Melville, R. (1957). "Ulmus canescens: an eastern Mediterranean elm." Kew Bulletin: 499-502, 1957
  15. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. (2017). List of Living Accessions: Ulmus
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