Ulmus glabra
| Ulmus glabra | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 98' |
| Width: | 82' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Winter-Early Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ulmus glabra (common name: wych elm)
Propagation: Seed - if sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates within a few days[1]. Stored seed does not germinate so well and should be sown in early spring[1]. The seed can also be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it dries on the tree) and sown immediately in a cold frame. It should germinate very quickly and will produce a larger plant by the end of the growing season[2]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Plants should not be allowed to grow for more than two years in a nursery bed since they form a tap root and will then move badly.
Layering of suckers or coppiced shoots[1].
Cultivation: Easily grown in any soil of at least moderate quality so long as it is well drained[3]. Prefers a deep or heavy soil that is moist but not waterlogged and does not thrive if the soil is markedly acid[4]. Moderately shade tolerant[4]. Very wind resistant and tolerant of maritime exposure[4].
Trees cast a dense shade[4].
Rarely produces suckers but responds well to coppicing[4].
The wych elm is subject to 'Dutch elm disease' (though less so than U. procera), a disease that has destroyed the greater part of all the elm trees growing in Britain. Mature trees killed back by the disease will often regrow from suckers, but these too will succumb when they get larger. There is no effective cure (1992) for the problem, but most E. Asian, though not Himalayan, species are resistant to the disease so the potential exists to develop new resistant hybrids with the native species. The various species hybridize freely, the pollen stores well and can be kept for use with species that flower at different times.
A very ornamental tree[3], it is a food plant for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera species[5]. A good tree for growing grapes into[6].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, north and west Asia.
Habitat: Woods, hedges and by streams, commoner in the west and north[7].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[8][K]. They can be a little bit bitter, especially if not very young, and have a mucilaginous texture[K]. They make a nice addition to a mixed salad[K].
Immature fruits, used just after they are formed, can be eaten raw[9]. An aromatic, unusual flavour, leaving the mouth feeling fresh and the breath smelling pleasant[9]. They contain about 34.4% protein, 28.2% fat, 17% carbohydrate, 5% ash[8]. The fruit is about 2.5cm long[1].
Inner bark - mucilaginous[8]. No more details are given but inner bark is often dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[K].
Medicinal: The inner bark is astringent, demulcent and mildly diuretic[10]. It is used both internally and externally in the treatment of diarrhoea, rheumatism, wounds, piles etc and is also used as a mouthwash in the treatment of ulcers[11][10][12]. The inner bark is harvested from branches 3 - 4 years old and is dried for later use[10].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Occasional feelings of inadequacy', 'Despondency' and 'Exhaustion from over-striving for perfection'[13].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the inner bark[10]. It is used in the treatment of eczema[10].
Usage: A fibre from the inner bark is used for mats and making ropes[14].
Wood - very durable under water, fairly hard, elastic, withstands abrasion and salt water. Used for water pipes, wheels, mallet heads, ships keels etc[15][16][17][14].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Seed Ripens: Late Spring-Early Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: U. campestre. pro parte. U. montana. U. scabra.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ Chancellor, Philip. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C W Daniel, 1985.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Ahrendt, Leslie. Berberis and Mahonia. Journal of the Linnean Society, 1961.