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Ulmus pumila

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Ulmus pumila
Cultivated Specimen
Morton Arboretum Acc. 325-70-4
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Magnoliophyta
Class:
Magnoliopsida
Order:
Rosales
Family:
Ulmaceae
Genus:
Ulmus
Species:
U. pumila
Binomial name
Ulmus pumila
Synonyms
  • Ulmus campestris L. var. pumila (L.) Maxim.
  • Ulmus humilis Amman ex Steud.
  • Ulmus manshurica Nakai
  • Ulmus pumila var. genuina Skvort.
  • Ulmus pumila var. microphylla Persoon

Ulmus pumila, the Siberian Elm, is native to Central Asia, eastern Siberia, Mongolia, Xizang (Tibet), northern China, India (northern Kashmir) and Korea [1]. It is also known as the Asiatic Elm, Dwarf Elm and (erroneously) Chinese Elm. Two varieties are recognized: var pumila and var. arborea, the latter known as Turkestan elm. Ulmus pumila has been widely cultivated throughout Asia, North America and, to a lesser extent, southern Europe.

Description

The Siberian Elm is usually a small to medium-sized, often bushy, tree growing to 10 – 20 m tall, with a trunk up to 80 cm d.b.h. [6] The leaves are deciduous in cold areas, but semi-evergreen in warmer climates, < 7 cm long and < 3 cm broad, with an oblique base and a coarsely serrated margin, changing from dark green to yellow in autumn. The perfect, apetalous wind-pollinated flowers emerge in early spring, before the leaves; unlike most elms, U. pumila is able to self-pollinate successfully [2]. The wind-dispersed fruit develops in a flat, oval membranous wing (samara) 1 - 1.5 cm long and notched at the outer end [3][4][5]. The tree is short-lived in temperate climates, rarely reaching more than 60 years of age, but in its native environment may live to between 100 and 150 years [7] [8].

  • Leaves
    Leaves
  • Fruits (and a cryptic green larva)
    Fruits (and a cryptic green larva)

Pests and diseases

The tree has considerable variability in resistance to Dutch elm disease.[6] Moreover, like many other elms in North America, it is highly susceptible to damage from many insects and parasites, including the elm leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola,[7][8] powdery mildew, cankers, aphids, and leaf spot. In the Netherlands U. pumila was also found to be susceptible to coral spot fungus Nectria cinnabarina [9], while in Italy, the species was also found to have a slight to moderate susceptibility to Elm Yellows.[10] However, U. pumila is the most resistant of all the elms to verticillium wilt.[11]

Cultivation and uses

Introduced into Spain in the 16th century, and later Italy, U. pumila has naturally hybridized with the Field Elm U. minor (see below, Invasive species and spontaneous hybridization). In Italy it was widely used in viniculture, notably in the Po valley, to support vines until the 1950s, when the demands of mechanization made it unsuitable.

U. pumila was introduced to North America by Frank Meyer [9] who, whilst in the employ of the USDA, made several collecting expeditions to the Far East. The tree was initially cultivated at the USDA Experimental Station at Mandan, North Dakota, where it flourished [12]. It was consequently selected by the USDA for planting in shelter belts across the prairies in the aftermath of the Dustbowl disasters, where its rapid growth and tolerance for drought and cold initially made it a great success. However, the species later proved susceptible to numerous maladies. Attempts to find a more suitable cultivar were initiated in 1997 by the Plant Materials Center of the USDA, which established experimental plantations at Akron, Colorado and Sidney, Nebraska. The study, no. 201041K, will conclude in 2020.

The species has a high sunlight requirement and is not shade-tolerant; with adequate light it exhibits rapid growth. The tree is also fairly intolerant of wet ground conditions, growing better on well-drained soils. While it is very resistant to drought and severe cold, and able to grow on poor soils, its short period of dormancy, flowering early in spring followed by continuous growth until the first frosts of autumn,[13] renders it vulnerable to frost damage.

As an ornamental U. pumila is a very poor tree, tending to be short-lived, with brittle wood and poor crown shape, but has nevertheless enjoyed some popularity owing to its rapid growth and provision of shade. The Siberian Elm has been described by Prof. Michael Dirr as "one of, if not the, world's worst trees...a poor ornamental that does not deserve to be planted anywhere" [14]. Yet in the USA during the 1950s, the tree was also widely promoted as a fast growing hedging substitute for Privet, and as a consequence is now commonly found in nearly all states [12]. In the UK, its popularity has been almost exclusively as a bonsai subject, and mature trees are largely restricted to arboreta.

Cultivars

Valued for the high resistance of some clones to Dutch elm disease, over a dozen selections have been made to produce hardy ornamental cultivars, although several may no longer be in cultivation:

Hybrid cultivars

The species has been widely hybridized in the USA and Italy to create robust trees of more native appearance with high levels of resistance to Dutch elm disease:

Invasive species and spontaneous hybridization

In North America U. pumila has become an invasive species from central Mexico [15] [10] to Ontario. It naturally hybridizes with the native U. rubra.[16] It is found in abundance along railroads and in abandoned lots and on disturbed ground. The gravel along railroad beds provides ideal conditions for its growth: well-drained, nutrient poor soil, and high light conditions, and these beds provide corridors which facilitate its spread. Owing to its high sunlight requirements, it seldom invades mature forests, and is primarily a problem in cities and open areas [17][18]. In South America, the tree has spread across much of the Argentinian pampas,[19] In Europe it has spread widely in Spain and hybridized extensively with the native U. minor, contributing to conservation concerns for the latter species.[20] U. pumila is now listed in Japan as an alien species recognized to be established in Japan or found in the Japanese wild.[21]

In arboreta

North America
Europe
Australasia

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ulmus pumila.
  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. [1]
  2. ^ Townsend, A. M. (1975). Crossability patterns and morphological variation among elm species and hybrids. Sylvae Genetica 24(1): 18 - 23.
  3. ^ Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848–1929. Private publication. [2]
  4. ^ Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees. Collins.
  5. ^ Huxley, A. (1992). The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.
  6. ^ Smalley, E. & Guries, R. P. (1993). Breeding elms for resistance to Dutch elm disease. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 31, 325-352
  7. ^ Miller, F. and Ware, G. (2001). Resistance of Temperate Chinese Elms (Ulmuss spp.) to Feeding of the Adult Elm Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 94 (1): 162-166. 2001. Entom. Soc.of America.
  8. ^ [3]
  9. ^ Heybroek, H. M. (1957). Elm breeding in the Netherlands. Silvae Genetica, Vol. 6, No 3-4, pp 112-117, 1957.
  10. ^ Mittempergher, L. & Santini, A. (2004). The History of Elm Breeding. Invest. Agrar.: Sist Recur For. 2004 13 (1), 161-177.
  11. ^ Pegg, G. F. & Brady, B. L. (2002). Verticillium Wilts. CABI Publishing. ISBN 0-85199-529-2
  12. ^ a b Klingaman, G. (1999). Plant of the Week: Siberian Elm. Extension News, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture.
  13. ^ Geng, M. A. (1989). A provenance test with elm (Ulmus pumila L.) in China. Silvae Genetica 32 (2), 37-44.
  14. ^ Dirr, M. (1975). Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing LLC. Champaign, Illinois.
  15. ^ Todzia, C. A. & Panero, J. L. (2006). A new species of Ulmus (Ulmaceae) from southern Mexico and a synopsis of the species in Mexico. Brittonia, Vol 50, (3): 346
  16. ^ www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
  17. ^ National Audubon Society (2002). Field Guide to North American Trees, Western Region, p. 419-420
  18. ^ [4]
  19. ^ Villamil, C. B., Zalba, S. M. Red de información sobre especies exóticas invasoras - I3N-Argentina Universidad Nacional del Sur Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
  20. ^ www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
  21. ^ [5]
  22. ^ Johnson, Owen (ed.) (2003). Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland. Whittet Press, ISBN 978-1-873580-61-5.
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