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Ulmus serotina facts for kids

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Ulmus serotina
Ulmus serotina 20100627.jpg
Ulmus serotina, Cheekwood, Nashville, TN
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Ulmus
Species:
serotina
Ulmus serotina range map 3.png
Generalized natural range of Ulmus serotina in the US
Synonyms
  • Ulmus divaricata C. H. Mull.
  • Ulmus multinervosa C. H. Mull.

Ulmus serotina Sarg., the September elm, is an autumn-flowering North American species of tree. It is uncommon beyond Tennessee; only very locally distributed through Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia, and disjunct into Nuevo León, Mexico. It grows predominantly on limestone bluffs and along streams to elevations of 400 m.

Description

Rarely exceeding 20 m in height, the tree has a rounded crown with spreading to pendulous branches. The glabrous young shoots become progressively corky-winged with age, and bear oblong to obovate leaves <8 cm long. The wind-pollinated apetalous perfect flowers form pendulous racemes which open in September and serve to distinguish the species from its compatriot, the cedar elm U. crassifolia, with which it readily hybridizes. The samarae are oblong-elliptical, 10–15 mm in length, deeply divided at the apex, and ripen in November [1] [2].

Pests and diseases

The species is highly susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

Cultivation

Before the outbreak of Dutch elm disease, U. serotina enjoyed limited popularity as a shade-tree in the southern part of its range. The tree grows well on most soils but is intolerant of anaerobic or saline conditions; it is also frost-tolerant to - 30°C. (-23 F). The September elm is very rare in cultivation in Europe; it was briefly propagated and marketed in the UK by the Hillier & Sons nursery, Winchester, Hampshire, from 1972 to 1977, when a total of 16 were sold.It is not known to have been introduced to Australasia. There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.

Notable trees

The US National Champion, measuring 25.5 m high in 2007, grows in Davidson County, Tennessee.[3]

Hybrids

  • Ulmus × arkansana

Accessions

North America
Europe
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