Index    Handbook of the Trees of New England by Lorin Low Dame, Henry Brooks

Ulmus fulva, Michx. Slippery Elm. Red Elm.

Ulmus pubescens, Walt.

Habitat and Range.—Rich, low grounds, low, rocky woods and hillsides.

Maine,—District of Maine (Michaux, Sylva of North America, ed. 1853, III, 53), rare; Waterborough (York county, Chamberlain, 1898); New Hampshire,—valley of the Connecticut, usually disappearing within ten miles of the river; ranges as far north as the mouth of the Passumpsic; Vermont,—frequent; Massachusetts,—rare in the eastern sections, frequent westward; Rhode Island.—infrequent; Connecticut,—occasional.

Habit.—A small or medium-sized tree, 40-60 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-2½ feet; head in proportion to the height of the tree, the widest spreading of the species, characterized by its dark, hairy buds and rusty-green, dense and rough foliage.

Bark.—Bark of trunk brown and in old trees deeply furrowed; larger branches grayish-brown, somewhat striate; branchlets grayish-brown, rough, marked with numerous dots, downy; season's shoots light gray and very rough; inner bark mucilaginous, hence the name "slippery elm."

Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds ovate to rounded-cylindrical, acute or obtuse, very dark, densely tomentose, very conspicuous just before unfolding. Leaves simple, alternate, 4-8 inches long, 3-4 inches wide, thickish, minutely hairy above and woolly beneath when young, at maturity pale rusty-green and very rough both ways upon the upper surface, scarcely less beneath, rough and hairy along the ribs; sweet-scented when dried; outline oblong, ovate-oblong, or oval, doubly serrate; apex acuminate; base more or less heart-shaped or obtuse, inequilateral; leafstalk short, rough, hairy; stipules small, soon falling.

Inflorescence.—March to April. Preceding the leaves, from the lateral buds of the preceding season, in clusters of nearly sessile, purplish flowers; sterile, fertile, and perfect on the same tree; calyx 5-9-lobed, downy; corolla none; stamens 5-9, anthers dark red; ovary flattened; styles two, purple, downy.

Fruit.—A samara, winged all round, 3/4 inch in diameter, roundish, pubescent over the seed, not fringed, larger than the fruit of U. Americana.

Horticultural Value.—Hardy throughout New England; does well in various situations, but prefers a light, sandy or gravelly soil near running water; grows more rapidly than U. Americana, and is less liable to the attacks of insects; its large foliage and graceful outline make it worthy of a place in ornamental plantations. Propagated from seed.

Plate XLIX.—Ulmus fulva.