Ulmus wallichiana

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Ulmus wallichiana
Ulmus wallichiana, Withdean Park, Brighton.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Subgenus:
U. subg. Ulmus
Section:
U. sect. Ulmus
Species:
U. wallichiana
Binomial name
Ulmus wallichiana
Planch.
Synonyms
  • Kashmir Elm: Anon.
  • Ulmus erosa sensu Wall.
  • Ulmus wallichiana Brandis, Hooker

Ulmus wallichiana Planch., the Himalayan elm, also known as the Kashmir elm and Bhutan elm, is a mountain tree ranging from central

wych elm
U. glabra.

Description

The Himalayan elm grows to 30 m tall, with a broad crown featuring several ascending branches. The bark of the trunk is greyish brown and longitudinally furrowed. The leaves are

elliptic-acuminate, < 13 cm long by 6 cm broad on petioles 5–10 mm long.[2] The samarae are usually orbicular, < 13 mm in diameter, on 5mm pedicels.[3]

  • Ulmus wallichiana, from Illustrations of the Forest Flora of North-West and Central India, 1874
    Ulmus wallichiana, from Illustrations of the Forest Flora of North-West and Central India, 1874
  • Samarae
    Samarae

Pests and diseases

The tree has a high resistance to the fungus

Elm Yellows,[6] meanwhile in the Netherlands the species was also found to be susceptible to coral spot fungus Nectria cinnabarina.[7]

Cultivation and uses

Endemic to an impoverished region with no fossil fuel resources, U. wallichiana is heavily lopped for firewood, and also for fodder, leaving it in danger of extermination in some areas.[8][9] Elsewhere however, it has been deliberately planted near villages and farmhouses. Recognizing its predicament, efforts have been made in India to conserve the tree by drying the seeds and placing them in refrigerated storage.[10] A species of considerable commercial potential, research has also been undertaken into optimal propagation methods.[11][12][13]

The tree was first introduced to the West in the 1920s, with the arrival of a specimen at the

S. G. A. Doorenbos, Parks Director at The Hague, in 1929. Doorenbos was able to graft four of the buds, and the following year had a row of strongly growing plants. The trees were again badly damaged by frost, but in 1938 were used as a source of anti-fungal genes in the Dutch elm breeding programme and crossed with the English winter-hardy cultivar 'Exoniensis'.[14]

U. wallichiana is grown in several arboreta in the UK, but by far the largest number is held by

Winchester, Hampshire, from 1962 to 1977, during which time 97 were sold.[16][17]

In North America, the species is represented only by two specimens at the U.S.

Washington D. C.

There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.

Etymology

The tree is named for the Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich.

Subspecies and varieties

There are two subspecies, wallichiana and xanthoderma, and a variety tomentosa identified by Melville & Heybroek,[3] distinguished largely by variations in pubescence of the leaves and young stems.

Notable trees

An old Ulmus wallichiana (bole girth 24 ft) stands in the Graveyard of Trari Baba near the town of Shamlai, Pakistan.[18] A finely-grown old specimen (2012) in the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh is listed as one of the landmark trees of India.[19]

Hybrids

Hybrid cultivars

U. wallichiana was crossed with the

Siberian elm U. pumila to create a number of hardy trees renowned for their rapid upright growth: 'Arno', 'Plinio', and 'San Zanobi'
.

Accessions

North America
Europe
Australasia

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T30410A9545816.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Herbarium specimen - L.1582443". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. U. wallichiana leaves specimen (Heybroek); Zuiderpark, The Hague (1959); "Herbarium specimen - L.1582444". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. U. wallichiana leaves specimen (Heybroek); Zuiderpark, The Hague (1962); "Herbarium specimen - L.1582442". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. U. wallichiana leaves specimen (Heybroek); Waalsdorperweg, The Hague (1959); "Ulmus erosa, samarae and new leaves (Kumaon district, 1824) K001119688". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b Melville, R. & Heybroek, H. (1971). The Elms of the Himalaya. Kew Bulletin Vol. 26(1). Royal Botanic Garden Kew, London
  4. S2CID 42980569
    .
  5. S2CID 7520439
    .
  6. ^ Mittempergher, L; Santini, A (2004). "The history of elm breeding" (PDF). Investigacion Agraria: Sistemas y Recursos Forestales. 13 (1): 161–177.
  7. ^ a b Heybroek, Hans M. (1957). "Elm breeding in the Netherlands". Silvae Genetica. 6 (3–4): 112–117.
  8. ^ Maunder, M. (1988). Plants in Peril, 3. Ulmus wallichiana (Ulmaceae). Kew Magazine. 5(3): 137–140. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, London.
  9. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.1963.tb00100.x
    .
  10. ^ Phartyal, S., Thapliyal, J., Nayal, J. & Joshi, G. (2003). Seed storage physiology of Himalayan Elm (U. wallichiana): an endangered tree species of tropical highlands. Seed Science & Technology Vol. 31. International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), Bassersdorf, Switzerland. [1]
  11. ^ Thakur, I.K. (1999). Vegetative propagation studies in ELM (Ulmus wallichiana planch)- A tree of high economic value. Journal of Non-Timber Forests Products, 6(1/2): 71–73. Department of Tree Improvement & Genetic Resources, Dr. Y. S. Parmar, University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni, Solan 173230, H.P., India.
  12. doi:10.15258/sst.2003.31.1.09
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0881927382
  14. ISBN 9789050112819
  15. ^ Ulmus wallichiana, Longhill School, Rottingdean
  16. ^ Hillier & Sons (1977). Catalogue of Trees & Shrubs. Hillier, Ampfield, UK.
  17. ^ Hillier & Sons Sales inventory 1962 to 1977 (unpublished).
  18. ^ Ulmus wallichiana, Trari Baba graveyard, Shamlai, Pakistan; researchgate.net
  19. ^ 'Landmark trees of India': Ulmus wallichiana, Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh; outreachecology.com
  20. ^ Heybroek, Hans M. (1983). Burdekin, D.A. (ed.). "Resistant elms for Europe" (PDF). Forestry Commission Bulletin (Research on Dutch Elm Disease in Europe) (60). London: HMSO: 108–113.
  21. ^ "List of plants in the {elm} collection". Brighton & Hove City Council. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  22. ISBN 978-1-873580-61-5
    .
  23. ^ RBGV (Melbourne) Elm list
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