English elm

Once common across the rich farmed soils of middle England, this elm was ravaged in the late 20th Century by Dutch Elm disease. Despite its name there is still debate over whether this elm is a native species or was broght here by Bronze Age farmers.

What other names does it have?

Generic name	Elm
Latin name	Ulmus minor var. vulgaris
Family name	Elm
Latin family name	Ulmaceae

What type of tree is it?

Is it a broadleaf or conifer?	It is a broadleaf
Does it lose its leaves in autumn?	Yes, it is deciduous

Species description:

Average height	16-30m

Leaf

Description	In shape the elms have characteristically asymetrical bases. These oval leaves are rather round and toothed/serrated around the edge. To the touch they are scrubby on top but downy underneath. The leaves are often puckered or crumpled
Shape	Oval
Size	5-10cm long
Colour	Dark green
Leaf bud	Tiny buds grey purple in colour
Leaf stalk	Short stalk
Leaf arrangement	Alternate

Flower, seed, and fruit

Flower size	Around 2cm long
Fruit colour	Light brown
Type of seed body	Small winged seed
Seeds dispersed by	Wind

Bark and twig

Bark description	Grey with close pale brown ridges, later coarsely square cracked
Twig Description	The shoots are finely hairy

What other trees are similar?

Can easily be confused with?	Other closely related Elms

Where is it usually found?

Is it native or non-native to the British Isles?	Native
Where is its natural range?	The origin and lineage of this species is debated. It is found in continental Europe and middle England
Preferred soil type or environmental conditions?	Prefers rich farmed soils
What is its British conservation status?	Occasional

Additional information

Human uses of tree and timber

Uses of elm are primarily for the wood. It has great strength, durability, a tight-twisted grain and is resistant to water. Uses include: boat building (keels, rudders and trawler boards) furniture, wheel hubs, wooden water pipes, floorboards, coffins and in decorative turning. In fact before metal was widely available many English towns had elm water mains, including Bristol, Reading, Exeter, Southampton, Hull and Liverpool. Some of these old water mains still survive and are occasionally dug up during building works. The foliage was also used for feeding and bedding domestic livestock.

Tree lore and folklore

Elms used to be associated with melancholy and death, perhaps this is because they can drop old branches without warning (to the danger of those underneath) or perhaps because elm was the dominant wood for coffins. There is much in literature celebrating and describing the elm, as they were a very key and obvious part of the landscape, but little more folklore. In some counties or towns there are overtures to fertility and relationships to different christian festivals when people would gather under a particular elm for to sing psalms. In Lichfield, it was the custom to carry elm twigs in a procession around the Cathedral Close on Ascension Day, then to throw them in the font.

English Elm

English Elm leaves

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