Ulmus pumila

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ulmus pumila
Gobi Desert of Mongolia

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Species:
U. pumila
Binomial name
Ulmus pumila
Synonyms
  • Ulmus campestris var. pumila Ledeb.
  • Ulmus campestris L. var. pumila (L.) Maxim.
  • Ulmus gobicus Anon.
  • Ulmus humilis Amman ex Steud.
  • Ulmus manshurica Nakai
  • Ulmus microphylla Persoon
  • Ulmus pumila var. genuina Skvort.
  • Ulmus pumila var. microphylla Persoon
  • Ulmus pumila var. transbaicalensis Pallas

Ulmus pumila, the Siberian elm, is a tree native to Asia. It is also known as the Asiatic elm and dwarf elm, but sometimes miscalled the 'Chinese elm' (Ulmus parvifolia). U. pumila has been widely cultivated throughout Asia, North America, Argentina, and southern Europe, becoming naturalized in many places, notably across much of the United States.[2][3]

Description

The Siberian elm is usually a small to medium-sized, often bushy, deciduous tree growing to 25 metres (82 feet) tall, the

self-pollinate successfully.[11]

The wind-dispersed samarae are whitish tan, orbicular to rarely broadly obovate or elliptical, 1 cm–2 cm × 1 cm–1.5 cm (3⁄8 in–3⁄4 in × 3⁄8 in–5⁄8 in), glabrous except for pubescence on stigmatic surface; the stalk 1–2 mm (5⁄128–5⁄64 in), the perianth persistent. The seed is at centre of the samara or occasionally slightly toward apex but not reaching the apical notch. Flowering and fruiting occur March to May. Ploidy: 2n = 28.[5] The tree also suckers readily from its roots.[12]

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.

Gobi, with a girth of 5.55 m (18 ft 3 in) in 2009, may exceed 250 years (based on average annual ring widths of other U. pumila in the area).[citation needed
]

  • Bark of mature tree, Korea
    Bark (Korea)
  • Stump showing rapid stem diameter increase (>40 millimetres (1+1⁄2 in) per annum)
    Stump showing rapid stem diameter increase (>40 millimetres (1+1⁄2 in) per annum)
  • Summer foliage
    Summer foliage
  • Typical 'long shoots' of pendulous forms
    Typical 'long shoots' of pendulous forms
  • Axil buds and fawn-coloured twigs
    Axil buds and fawn-coloured twigs
  • Flowers
    Flowers
  • Immature fruits (and Satyrium w-album larva)
    Immature fruits (and
    Satyrium w-album
     larva)
  • Mature fruits
    Mature fruits

Taxonomy

The species was described by Peter Simon Pallas in the 18th century from specimens from Transbaikal.

Two varieties were traditionally recognized: var. pumila and var. arborea, the latter now treated as a cultivar, U. pumila 'Pinnato-ramosa'.

Distribution and habitat

The tree is native to Central Asia, eastern Siberia, the Russian Far East, Mongolia, Tibet, northern China, India (northern Kashmir) and Korea.[5][6][15] It is the last tree species encountered in the semi-desert regions of Central Asia.[16]

Ecology

Tree sparrow with seed, Ukraine
U. pumila spreading along the banks of the Columbia River, Washington state, 2013

Pests and diseases

The tree has considerable variability in resistance to

Elm Yellows,[21] powdery mildew, cankers,[22] aphids, leaf spot and, in the Netherlands, coral spot fungus Nectria cinnabarina.[23] U. pumila is the most resistant of all the elms to verticillium wilt.[24]

Invasiveness and spontaneous hybridization

In North America, Ulmus pumila has become an invasive species in much of the region from central Mexico[25] northward across the eastern and central United States to Ontario, Canada.[26] It also hybridizes in the wild with the native U. rubra (slippery elm) in the central United States, prompting conservation concerns for the latter species.[27][28] In South America, the tree has spread across much of the Argentine pampas.[29][30]

In Europe it has spread widely in Spain, and hybridizes extensively there with the native

field elm (U. minor),[31] contributing to conservation concerns for the latter species.[32] Research is ongoing into the extent of hybridisation with U. minor in Italy.[33]

Ulmus pumila is often 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; these beds provide corridors which facilitate its spread. It is found as high as 8000 feet in the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico and is invading coniferous forest there. New Mexico may be a center of genetic diversity in North America. Owing to its high sunlight requirements, it seldom invades mature forests, and is primarily a problem in cities and open areas,[34][35] as well as along transportation corridors.

The species is now listed in Japan as an alien species recognized as established in Japan or found in the Japanese wild.[36]

Cultivation

U. pumila was introduced into Spain as an ornamental, probably during the reign of

Po
valley, to support the grape vines until the 1950s, when the demands of mechanization made it unsuitable.

Three specimens were supplied by the

St Ann's Well Gardens, Hove, Sussex 20 m (65 ft 7 in) × 60 cm (2 ft 0 in) in 2009.[45]

U. pumila is said to have been introduced to the US in 1905 by Prof.

USDA, which established experimental plantations at Akron, Colorado, and Sidney, Nebraska. The study, no. 201041K, will conclude in 2020.[citation needed] The US National Champion, measuring 33.5 m (109 ft 11 in) high in 2011, grows in Berrien County, Michigan.[48][49]

The seeds lose their viability rapidly after maturity unless placed on suitable germination conditions or dried and placed at low temperatures.[50] 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,[51] 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 it has nevertheless enjoyed some popularity owing to its rapid growth and provision of shade. The Siberian Elm has been described as "one of the world's worst... ornamental trees that does not deserve to be planted anywhere".[52] Yet in the US 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.[47]

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:


A variegated weeping elm, with cream, dark green and light green variegation, is cultivated in China as Ulmus pumila 'Variegata'.[53][54][55][56]

Some authorities consider the cultivar 'Berardii' a form of U. pumila.[57][58] Nottingham elm, considered an Ulmus × hollandica by Richens, was marketed from the 19th century as 'Siberian elm'.

Hybrid cultivars

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

  • Willis
    , Dutch clone '260' (not released to commerce).

Other hybrid cultivars involving crossings with U. pumila:

Uses

The unripe seeds have long been eaten by the peoples of

Kaoliang or Foxtail millet make a better tasting and more filling meal.[59]

Ulmus pumila in literature and travel writing

U. pumila open woodland in the sandy steppe in Bayannuur sum, Bulgan Province, Mongolia, 2008

The "dwarf-"[60] or "shrub-elms"[61] of the North Caucasus, along with other local flora, appear in the opening description of Tolstoy's story 'The Raid' (1853).

Nicholas Roerich describes a specimen discovered on his travels through Mongolia:[62]

We are in the deserts of Mongolia. It was hot and dusty yesterday. From faraway thunder was approaching. Some of our friends became tired from climbing the stony holy hills of Shiret Obo. While already returning to the camp, we noticed in the distance a huge elm tree – 'karagatch', - lonely, towering amidst the surrounding endless desert. The size of the tree, its somewhat familiar outlines attracted us into its shadow. Botanical considerations led us to believe that in the wide shade of the giant there might be some interesting herbs. Soon, all the co-workers gathered around the two mighty stems of the karagatch. The deep, deep shadow of the tree covered about 50 feet across. The powerful tree-stems were covered with fantastic burr growths. In the rich foliage, birds were singing and the beautiful branches were stretched out in all directions, as if wishing to give shelter to all pilgrims.

Accessions

North America

Europe

Australasia

Africa

  • Arboretum of Haramaya University, Haramaya, Ethiopia [64][65]

Nurseries

Europe

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T61967372A61967374.en
    . Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Ulmus pumila". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  3. S2CID 42755808
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  4. ^ "Herbarium specimen - E00824809". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Leaves specimen from Harbin, Manchuria (1953); Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; herbarium specimen P06883116, labelled Ulmus, Mongolia
  5. ^ a b c 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, US. [1]
  6. ^ a b Fu, Liguo; Xin, Yiqun; Whittemore, Alan. "Ulmus pumila". Flora of China. Vol. 5 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  7. ^ a b Sherman-Broyles, Susan L. (1997). "Ulmus pumila". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  8. ^ Went, J. (1954). The Dutch Elm Disease – Summary of fifteen years' hybridization and selection work (1937–1952). European Journal of Plant Pathology. 02(1954); 60(2): 109–1276.
  9. ^ Hilty, John (2020). "Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  10. ^ Sherman-Broyles, Susan L. (1997). "Ulmus". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
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  12. ^ Grbić, M., Skočajić, D., Đukić, M., Đunisijević-Bojović, D., Marković, M. (2015). 'Mass clonal propagation of elm as a way for replacement of endangered autochthonous species'. p.62. Proceedings, International Conference Reforestation Challenges, 3–6 June 2015, Belgrade, Serbia.
  13. ^ "Untitled". Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  14. ^ "Pictures".
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  22. ^ a b Leopold, D. J. (1980). "Chinese and Siberian elms". Journal of Arboriculture. 6 (7): 175–179. Retrieved 6 June 2023 – via Arboriculture & Urban Forestry Online.
  23. ^ Heybroek, Hans M. (1957). "Elm breeding in the Netherlands". Silvae Genetica. 6 (3–4): 112–117. Retrieved 6 June 2023 – via Wageningen University & Research.
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  25. S2CID 21320752
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  30. ^ Hiersch, H., Hensen, I., Zalapa, J. Guries, R. & Brunet, J. (2013). Is hybridization a necessary condition for the evolution of invasiveness in non-native Siberian elm? Abstracts. Third International Elm Conference 2013. The elm after 100 years of Dutch elm disease. Florence, p45.
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  34. ^ National Audubon Society (2002). Field Guide to North American Trees, Western Region, p. 419-420
  35. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
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  38. ^ "Herbarium specimen - E00824808". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. "Herbarium specimen - E00824813". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. U. pumila herbarium leaf-specimens, RBGE 1902: elmer.rbge.org
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  56. ^ Leaves photo 3, Ulmus pumila 'Variegata', China; Plant Photo Bank of China, ppbc.iplant.cn
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