Ulmus davidiana, also known as the David elm, or Father David elm (named after the botanist Armand David, who collected specimens), is a small deciduous tree widely distributed across China, Mongolia, Korea, Siberia, and Japan, where it is found in wetlands along streams at elevations of 2000–2300 m (6,500–7,500 ft).[2] The tree was first described in 1873 from the hills north of Beijing, China.[3]
| Ulmus davidiana | |
|---|---|
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| David Elm, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, England. | |
Scientific 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. davidiana
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| Binomial name | |
| Ulmus davidiana | |
| Synonyms | |
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Classification
editTwo varieties of Ulmus davidiana are recognized: var. davidiana, occurring only in China, and var. japonica Rehder, the more widely ranging Japanese Elm.[2] Some authorities, however, do not consider japonica to be a variety of U. davidiana, The Illustrated Flora of the Primorsky Territory, Russian Far East (2019), for example, maintaining U. japonica as a species.[4][5] In 1916 Arnold Arboretum described the two as different species.[6] Harold Hillier originally (1973) listed and described japonica as a variety of U. davidiana,[7] but Hillier's separated the two as distinct species in later editions of their Manual of Trees and Shrubs.[8]
Description
editUlmus davidiana is considered to have a remarkable resemblance to the American elm (U. americana) in all but ultimate size.[9] The tree grows to a maximum height of 15 m (50 ft), with a relatively slender trunk < 0.3 m (1 ft) d.b.h. supporting a dense canopy casting a heavy shade. Its bark remains smooth for a comparatively long time, before becoming longitudinally fissured. The leaves are obovate to obovate-elliptic < 10 cm (4 in) × < 5 cm (2 in), with a petiole of about 10 mm, according to the protologue (the original description);[10] the Flora of China description gives a petiole range of 5-10 mm with an extreme of 17 mm,[11] while Rehder described the petiole simply as 'short'; [12] the upper surface is rough.[13] The perfect, wind-pollinated apetalous flowers are produced on second-year shoots in March,[14] followed by obovate samarae < 19 mm (3/4 in) long × < 14 mm (1/2 in) wide.[15]
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Bark of juvenile tree, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Pests and diseases
editEvaluated with other Chinese elms at the Morton Arboretum in Illinois, the tree was found to have a good resistance to Dutch elm disease (DED) [16] [4] [5]. The species is reputed to have a good resistance to elm leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola, elm yellows (elm phloem necrosis) and leafminers in the US.[16] [6]
Cultivation
editThe tree was briefly propagated and marketed by the Hillier & Sons nursery, Winchester, Hampshire from 1971 to 1977, during which time only four were sold.[17][18]
There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce beyond the United States.
American testing
editThe David Elm has shown some promise as a result of testing at the Ohio State University (OSU) in Ohio.[19][20] At OSU, the plants were cultivated in copper-lined pots and planted in a wide lawn under a powerline and in small home lawns. The tree's performance has been mixed, but shows potential. Some specimens did extremely well, while others struggled. The tree seems to perform well on disturbed sites, in calciferous (alkaline) soils, and also seems to have a better tolerance for wet soil than the literature has indicated. A number of strong saplings were cultivated that show promise. Some saplings underwent judicious pruning early on to maximize structural stability of the plant ("pruning can help the plant result in a more structurally stable branching pattern" [19]), and blue-colored tree shelters were used on some plants until the stem reached a diameter of 25–37 mm.
Additional observation shows that at least 50% of emerging leaves on the trees survived a hard freeze that lasted 5 days during April 2007. Leaves were approximately 70% emerged when temperatures fell to −6°C (21°F). Temperatures fell below freezing for 5 days (April 4–8, 2007).
Notable trees
editThe UK TROBI Champion is a relatively young tree at White House Farm, Ivy Hatch, Kent, measuring 5 m high by 17 cm d.b.h. in 2009.[21]
Etymology
editThe tree is named for Father Armand David, the French missionary and naturalist who introduced the tree to France in the 19th century.
Accessions
edit- North America
- Arnold Arboretum, US. Acc. nos. 5957 (wild collected), 785-80 (cult. from wild material).
- Brenton Arboretum, US. No details available.
- Chicago Botanic Garden, US. Five trees, no other details available.
- Dawes Arboretum, US. [7], Newark, US. Two trees, Acc. nos. D1997-0455.001 & D2006-0032.001.[22]
- Denver Botanic Gardens, US. Acc. no. 950870. No details available.
- Holden Arboretum, US. Acc. no. 00-318, Three specimens wild collected.
- Morton Arboretum, US. Acc. no. 427-84
- United States National Arboretum, Washington, D.C., US. Acc. no. 64463
- Europe
- Arboretum Poort Bulten [8], Losser, The Netherlands. Acc. no. LOS0243.
- Brighton & Hove City Council, UK. NCCPG Elm Collection.[23]
- Grange Farm Arboretum, Lincolnshire, UK. Acc. no. 510
- Hortus Botanicus Nationalis, Salaspils, Latvia. Acc. no. 18095
- Linnaean Gardens of Uppsala, Sweden. Acc. no. 2001-1659, obtained from South Korea.
- Oxford University Botanic Garden, UK. Acc. no. 0004891.
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK. Acc. no. 20030905 grown from seed wild collected in Korea.
- Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK. Acc. nos. 2000.0018, 2004.0514
- Wijdemeren City Council, Netherlands. Elm collection. Planted Smeerdijkgaarde, Kortenhoef 2013.
References
edit- ^ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Ulmus davidiana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T135925802A136775258. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T135925802A136775258.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ a b 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]
- ^ Heybroek, Hans M. (1981). "The Japanese elm species and their value for the Dutch elm breeding program" (PDF). Proceedings of the Dutch Elm Disease Symposium and Workshop, October 5–9, Winnipeg, Manitoba: 78–90.
- ^ Kozhevnikov, Andrey E.; Kozhevnikova Zoya V.; Kwak, Myounghai; Lee, Byoung Yoon (2019), Illustrated Flora of the Primorsky Territory (Russian Far East), National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon, South Korea
- ^ Ulmus japonica (Rehder) Sarg., Plants of the World Online
- ^ U. davidiana Planch. (no. 13) and Ulmus japonica Sarg. (no. 12), in Charles Sprague Sargent, ed., Plantae Wilsonianae: an enumeration of the woody plants collected in western China for the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University during the years 1907, 1908, and 1910 by E. H. Wilson, Vol.3, p.258-262 (Cambridge, Mass., 1916)
- ^ Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs. Ed. 3, 399, (1973); David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK
- ^ Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs. Ed. 6, 369, 370, (2002); David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK
- ^ Ware, G. (1995). Little-known elms from China: landscape tree possibilities. Journal of Arboriculture, (Nov. 1995). International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, Illinois, US. [2] Archived 2007-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ulmus davidiana Planchon, in Candolle, Prodr. 17: 158. 1873
- ^ U. davidiana description, Flora of China, vol.5 p.7, efloras.org
- ^ Ulmus davidiana Planchon, in Rehder, Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs p.187. 1934, New York, MacMillan.
- ^ "Specimen - P00721891". Collection: Vascular plants (P). Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France). Sheet labelled Ulmus davidiana; Armand David type specimen (1), fruit and new leaves; eastern Mongolia, 1864-5; "Specimen - P00721892". Collection: Vascular plants (P). Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France). Sheet labelled Ulmus davidiana; Armand David type specimen (2,) fruit and new leaves; eastern Mongolia, 1864-5
- ^ "Specimen - P00721893". Collection: Vascular plants (P). Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France). Sheet labelled Ulmus davidiana; flowers and emerging leaves; Armand David specimen, eastern Mongolia, 1864-5
- ^ "Specimen - P00721894". Collection: Vascular plants (P). Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France). Sheet labelled Ulmus davidiana; fruit and new leaves; Armand David specimen, eastern Mongolia, 1864-5
- ^ a b Morton Arboretum Quarterly 31: 1-9, 1995
- ^ Hillier & Sons (1977). Catalogue of Trees & Shrubs. Hillier, Ampfield, UK.
- ^ Hillier & Sons Sales inventory 1962 to 1977 (unpublished).
- ^ a b D'Amato, N. & Sydnor, T. (2005). David Elm use for increasing biodiversity, Columbus, Ohio, USA. [3]
- ^ Struve, D. K. and Rhodus, T. (1990). Turning copper into gold. Amer. Nurseryman, 172: 114-123.
- ^ Johnson, O. (2011). Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland, p. 168. Kew Publishing, Kew, London. ISBN 9781842464526.
- ^ Tree and foliage photographs labelled Ulmus davidiana var. mandshurica, Dawes Arboretum, Newark, Ohio; dawesarb.arboretumexplorer
- ^ "List of plants in the {elm} collection". Brighton & Hove City Council. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
External links
editFurther reading
edit- Jung, Mee Jung, Seong-Il Heo, and Myeong-Hyeon Wang. Free radical scavenging and total phenolic contents from methanolic extracts of Ulmus davidiana. Food Chemistry 108.2 (2008): 482-487.