Ulmus thomasii
| Ulmus thomasii | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 98' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ulmus thomasii (common name: rock 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: Prefers a deep fertile soil in full sun[3][4], but can be grown in any soil of at least moderate quality so long as it is well drained[5]. Plants are tolerant of poor soil conditions in the wild[4].
Although perfectly hardy, this species does not thrive in Britain[5][6]. It is very slow growing, even in its native range[6].
Susceptible to 'Dutch elm disease', a disease that has destroyed the greater part of all the elm trees growing in Britain. The disease is spread by means of beetles. There is no effective cure (1992) for the problem, but most E. Asian, though not Himalayan, species are resistant (though not immune) to the disease so the potential exists to use these resistant species to develop new resistant hybrids with the native species[1].
The various species of this genus hybridize freely with each other and pollen is easily saved, so even those species with different flowering times can be hybridized[1].
Range: Central and Northeastern N. America - Quebec to Ontario, Minnesota, Kentucky, Missouri and Nebraska.
Habitat: Rich woods and calcareous uplands[7]. Dry gravelly uplands, low heavy clay soils, rocky slopes and river cliffs[8].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked.
Usage: Wood - very strong, hard, heavy, tough, elastic, durable, close and beautifully grained, difficult to split. It weighs 45lb per cubic foot and is used for furniture, agricultural implements, wheel hubs and other purposes demanding toughness, solidity and flexibility[9][10][8][11][12][4][13].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Spring
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: U. racemosa. Thomas.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.