The

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

''Ulmus'' 'Crispa' 'curled', the leaf margin sometimes known as the Fernleaf Elm, arose before 1800 and was first listed by Willdenow as ''U. crispa'' (1809). Audibert listed an ''U. campestris'' Linn. 'Crispa', ''orme à feuilles crépues'' 'frizzy-leaved elm' in 1817, and an ''Ulmus urticaefolia'' 'nettle-leaved elm'in 1832; the latter is usually taken to be a synonym. Loudon considered the tree a variety of ''U. montana'' (1838). In the 19th century, ''

Ulmus × hollandica ''Ulmus'' × ''hollandica'' Mill. , often known simply as Dutch elm, is a natural hybrid between wych elm (''U. glabra'') and field elm (''U. minor'') which commonly occurs across Europe wherever the ranges of the parent species overlap. In En ...

'' cultivars, as well as those of

Wych Elm ''Ulmus glabra'', the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reac ...

, were often grouped under ''Ulmus montana''. Elwes and Henry (1913) listed 'Crispa' as a form of wych elm, but made no mention of the non-wych

samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

(see 'Description'). Hanham (1857) noted that in his day concave-leaved Field Elm, ''U. campestris concavaefolia'', was frequently mistaken for and sold as 'Crispa' in nurseries, "though there is a wide difference between them".Hanham, F. (1857)
''A Manual for the Park''
(Royal Victoria Park, Bath). Longman, London. The

Louis van Houtte Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

nursery used the synonym ''Ulmus campestris adiantifolia'' for 'Crispa', and ''Ulmus campestris crispa'' for the cultivar 'Webbiana'.''Cultures de Louis van Houtte: Plantes Vivaces de Pleine Terre''
''Catalogue de Louis van Houtte, 1881-2'', p.303 The Baudriller nursery of

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

went one step further, listing ''Ulmus campestris adiantifolia'', ''orme à feuilles de capillaire'' 'downy-leaved elm' separately from both ''Ulmus campestris crispa'', ''orme à feuilles crispées'' 'wrinkled leaved elm'and ''Ulmus campestris webbiana'', ''orme de Webb''.

Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east In ...

, noting similarities between 'Crispa' and ''Ulmus montana rugosa'', conjectured (1872) that the latter cultivar, which has "similar but less frizzy leaves", may have arisen from the former.

Description

'Crispa' is a slow-growing tree with pendulous branches bearing narrow,

linear In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a '' polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x) ...

oblanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

leaves up to 9 cm long by 3.5 cm broad, distinctively wrinkled and with numerous incised curved teeth.Bean, W. J. (1981). ''Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain'', 7th edition. Murray, London. Hanham (1857), concurring with Loudon (1838), described it as "generally of a slender and stunted habit of growth", and

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

(1913) as a small tree;Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). ''The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland''. Vol. VII. p.1867. Private publication, Edinburgh

mature specimens in Sweden, however, have attained a height comparable to the type. The seed is near the apex (margin) of the

, confirmed from specimens in The Netherlands Sheet labelled ''Ulmus crispa'', Amsterdam specimen (1859); samarae and leaves – a diagnostic feature which points to Ulmus × hollandica, hybridity. The petiole is variable – short on thick twigs, but longer and unwych-like on more slender twigs.

Arnold Arboretum The Arnold Arboretum is a botanical research institution and free public park affiliated with Harvard University and located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, Massachusetts, Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston. Established in 1872, it is the ...

, Massachusetts, described their specimen of 'Crispa' (1915) as "more curious than beautiful". Image:Ulmus glabra Crispa (glabra) 071007b.jpg, 'Crispa' leaf Image:RN Ulmus glabra Crispa (bonte hoek).JPG, Leaves of 'Crispa' Image:Ulmus glabra Crispa bladdetail (bottomside).JPG, Underside of 'Crispa' leaves

Pests and diseases

'Crispa' is susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

Cultivation

'Crispa' was once to be found in collections in Britain, including

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

, the

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies ...

, and the Royal Victoria Park, Bath. A specimen obtained from Späth as ''U. montana crispa'' and planted in 1916, stood in the Ryston Hall arboretum,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, in the early 20th century. The tree was propagated and marketed in the UK by the Hillier & Sons nursery,

Winchester, Hampshire Winchester (, ) is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is south-west of ...

, from 1945, with just 12 sold in the period 1962 to 1977, when production ceased.Hillier & Sons (1977). ''Catalogue of Trees & Shrubs''. Hillier, Ampfield, UK.Hillier & Sons ''Sales inventory 1962 to 1977'' (unpublished). Only one mature tree is now known to survive in the UK, at the

Rosemoor Garden RHS Garden Rosemoor is a public display garden run by the Royal Horticultural Society in north Devon, England. Rosemoor is about south of Great Torrington on the A3124 road to Exeter. It is surrounded by over of woodland with the River Torri ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. Specimens survive in Sweden (see 'Notable trees') and Latvia. As 'Crispa' was marketed in Poland in the 19th century by the Ulrich nursery,Ulrich, C. (1894), ''Katalog Drzew i Krezewow, C. Ulrich'', Rok 1893–94, Warszawa

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, and by the

Späth nursery The Späth (often spelt ''Spaeth'') family created one of the world's most notable plant nurseries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The nursery had been founded in 1720 by Christoph Späth but removed to the erstwhile district of Baumschulen ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, other specimens may survive elsewhere in Eastern Europe. The Hesse Nursery of

Weener Weener () is a town in the district of Leer (district), Leer, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Ems (river), Ems. The towns population is at 15,654, making it the largest town of the region ...

, Germany, distributed the tree as ''U. campestris urticifolia'' Hort. in the 1930s. The tree remains in cultivation in Europe (see 'Nurseries'). The tree was introduced to the

Dominion Arboretum The Dominion Arboretum () is an arboretum part of the Central Experimental Farm of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally begun in 1889, the Arboretum covers about of rolling land between Prince of Wales Drive, ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada in 1896 as ''U. montana crispa'' (syn. ''U. campestris urticaefolia''). ''Ulmus crispa'' was distributed by Hovey's nursery of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts from the 1850s. 'Crispa' appeared as ''U. urticifolia'', 'Nettle-leaved elm' with "undulating leaves", in Kelsey's 1904 catalogue, New York. It was listed by nurseries in Australia in the early 20th century, but there are no records of any survivors there.Spencer, R., Hawker, J. and Lumley, P. (1991). ''Elms in Australia''. Australia: Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. .

Notable trees

Large specimens survive in Sweden, in Krusenburg near

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

, and in Stockholm (Hantverkargatan and two in Serafimerparken) (2017).

Varieties

* 'Crispa Aurea' * 'Crispa Pendula'

Synonymy

*''Ulmus urticaefolia'': Audibert 1832 catalogue. *''Ulmus adiantifolia'' Hort.:

Kirchner Kirchner is an occupational surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word (' sexton', 'priest', 'church assistant' or 'church property administrator'). Notable people with the name include: Arts * Alfred Kirchner (born 1937) ...

, in Petzold & Kirchner, ''Arboretum Muscaviense'', 565, 1864. ''Arboretum Muscaviense'' 566 (1864)
/ref> Name in synonymy. *''Ulmus campestris adiantifolia'' ?: Baudriller 1880 catalogue,

1881 catalogue. *''Ulmus campestris'' var. ''sublaciniatus'':

Mathieu Mathieu is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * André Mathieu (1929–1968), Canadian pianist and composer * Anselme Mathieu (1828–1895), French Provençal poet * Claude-Louis Mathieu (1783–1875) ...

''Flore générale de Belgique'' 1: 480, 1853
. *''Ulmus montana filicifolia'' ?: Smith & Co., Worcester, 1887–88, Thompson & Watson: a wych elm cultivar with "dissected foliage" *''Ulmus campestris filicifolia'' ? :

1881 catalogue *''Ulmus asplenifolia'':

Bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...

(1936)

Accessions

;Europe *

Grange Farm Arboretum The Grange Farm Arboretum is a small private arboretum comprising 3 hectares accommodating over 800 trees, mostly native and ornamental species or cultivars, notably oaks, ashes, walnuts and elms, growing on a calcareous loam.Ostler, J. (2009) ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, UK. Acc. no. 1069. *Hortus Botanicus Nationalis,

Salaspils Salaspils (; ; ) (literally: "island castle") is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the administrative centre of Salaspils Municipality. The town is situated on the northern bank of the Daugava river, 18 kilometers to the south-east ...

, Latvia. Acc. no. 18101 * Linnaean Gardens of Uppsala, Sweden. Acc. no. 1996-1558 *

, Torrington,

, UK. One tree, in Lady Anne's Garden, planted 1976, 8 m high (2008

obtained from the D M van Gelderen nursery,

Boskoop Boskoop () is a town in the province of South Holland. It was a separate municipality until it merged into Alphen aan den Rijn in 2014. The town had a population of 15,050 in 2012 and covers an area of of which is water. It's the world's bigges ...

, Netherlands. *

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

Botanic Garden, Estoni

No details available. * Netherlands Plant Collection Ulmus,

Wijdemeren Wijdemeren () is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland, on the western border of the Gooi region. Wijdemeren contains many lakes, including ''Spiegelplas'' and ''Ankeveense Plassen'' in the north(east) and ''Loosdrech ...

, 3 planted as Ulmus glabra ‘Crispa’ 2021 Rading

Loosdrecht Loosdrecht () is a town in the municipality of Wijdemeren, North Holland, the Netherlands, with a population of about 8,600 inhabitants. Loosdrecht consists of two small villages: Nieuw-Loosdrecht and Oud-Loosdrecht. Nieuw Loosdrecht covers a ...

and De Kwakel

Kortenhoef Kortenhoef ( or ) is a village in North Holland, Netherlands with a population of about 6,780. It is an important part of the municipality of Wijdemeren, and lies about 5 km northwest of Hilversum. Kortenhoef was a separate municipality unti ...

obtained from Chris van der Wurff nursery,

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

.Netherlands Plant Collection: Iepen, ''Ulmus''
/ref>

Nurseries

*Arboretum Waaslan

,

Nieuwkerken-Waas Nieuwkerken-Waas is a village in the Belgian province East Flanders. Since 1977, it has been a subdivision (deelgemeente) of the municipality of Sint-Niklaas. History In comparison with towns bordering Sint-Niklaas such as Waasmunster, Belsel ...

, Belgium. *Centrum voor Botanische Verrijking vzw,

Kampenhout Kampenhout () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Berg, Belgium, Berg, Buken, Kampenhout proper and Nederokkerzeel. On 1 January 2006 Kamp ...

, Belgium.Centrum voor Botanische Verrijking vzw
Voorraadlijst
accessdate: November 2, 2016 *Lønbæk Planteskol

Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by Storå, Denmark, ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 37,487 (1 January 2025).
Wilhelminaoord, Netherlands. *Szkółki Konieczk

Gogolin Gogolin is a town in southern Poland, in Opole Voivodeship, in Krapkowice County. It has 6,682 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Gmina Gogolin. Geology and palaeontology Gogolin gives its name to the Gogolin Formation whose strata were fi ...

, Poland.

References

{{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars , state=collapsed Elm cultivars Ulmus articles with images Ulmus