SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ulmus americana

COMMON NAME: American elm

LEAVES: Inequilateral base, doubly serrate, and up to 5" long.

FRUIT: Single samara that is round. Spring and summer.

BARK: Grey ridge and furrowed.

OTHER: Vase shaped growth habit and fast growing. Not resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Was the street tree of the eastern United States until Dutch Elm Disease (DED) killed many trees. DED is a fungus disease transmitted by the elm bark beetle which is a borer. The disease is a vascular wilt whose initial system is death of 6" to 18" of a young twig tip which retains the dead leaves and this symptomology is called flagging. If the flagging occurs in the spring the tree will usually die before the fall, but if the flagging occurs in the late summer then the tree may live for several years. Grows up to 100' tall. Don't use in large numbers or as a specimen tree. Two cultivars of American elm that are resistant to or tolerate Dutch Elm Disease have been released. They are 'Valley Forge' and 'New Harmony'. These releases may signal at last the beginning of a new day for American elm.