''Ulmus davidiana'', also known as the David elm, or Father David elm (named after the botanist

Armand David Armand David, CM (7 September 1826, Espelette – 10 November 1900, Paris) was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist from the French Basque Country. Several species, such as Père David's deer ...

, who collected specimens), is a small

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree widely distributed across China, Mongolia, Korea, Siberia, and Japan, where it is found in wetlands along streams at elevations of 2000–2300 m (6,500–7,500 ft).Fu, L., Xin, Y. & Whittemore, A. (2002). Ulmaceae, in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) ''Flora of China'', Vol. 5 (Ulmaceae through Basellaceae). Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA

/ref> The tree was first described in 1873 from the hills north of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China.

Classification

Two varieties of ''Ulmus davidiana'' are recognized: var. ''davidiana'', occurring only in China, and var. ''japonica'' Rehder, the more widely ranging Japanese Elm. Some authorities, however, do not consider ''japonica'' to be a variety of ''U. davidiana'', ''The Illustrated Flora of the Primorsky Territory, Russian Far East'' (2019), for example, maintaining ''U. japonica'' as a species. In 1916

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 ...

described the two as different species.

Harold Hillier Sir Harold George Hillier CBE VMH (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1985) was an English horticulturist. In 1921, he joined the family firm, Hillier Nurseries, his early career spent in assisting his father in rebuilding stocks depleted by World W ...

originally (1973) listed and described ''japonica'' as a variety of ''U. davidiana'', but Hillier's separated the two as distinct species in later editions of their ''Manual of Trees and Shrubs''.

Description

''Ulmus davidiana'' is considered to have a remarkable resemblance to the American elm (''U. americana'') in all but ultimate size.Ware, G. (1995). Little-known elms from China: landscape tree possibilities. ''Journal of Arboriculture'', (Nov. 1995). International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, Illinois, US

The tree grows to a maximum height of 15 m (50 ft), with a relatively slender trunk < 0.3 m (1 ft)

d.b.h. Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

supporting a dense canopy casting a heavy shade. Its bark remains smooth for a comparatively long time, before becoming longitudinally fissured. The leaves are

obovate 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) ...

to obovate-elliptic < 10 cm (4 in) × < 5 cm (2 in), with a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

of about 10 mm, according to the protologue (the original description); the ''Flora of China'' description gives a petiole range of 5-10 mm with an extreme of 17 mm, while

Rehder Rehder is a German surname. Notable people with this surname include the following: * Alfred Rehder (1863–1949), German-American botanist and Harvard professor * Elke Rehder (born 1953), German artist * Harald Alfred Rehder (1907–1996), Americ ...

described the petiole simply as 'short'; the upper surface is rough. The

perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection; completeness, and excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film and television * ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * ''Perfect'' (20 ...

, wind-pollinated

apetalous Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...

flowers are produced on second-year shoots in March, followed by obovate samarae < 19 mm (3/4 in) long × < 14 mm (1/2 in) wide. File:SHHG Ulmus davidiana bark.jpg, Bark of juvenile tree, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

Pests and diseases

Evaluated with other Chinese elms at the

Morton Arboretum The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, United States, is a public garden and outdoor museum with a library, herbarium, and program in tree research including the Center for Tree Science. Its grounds, covering 1,700 acres (6.9 square kilometre ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, the tree was found to have a good resistance to Dutch elm disease (DED) ''Morton Arboretum Quarterly'' 31: 1-9, 1995
The species is reputed to have a good resistance to elm leaf beetle ''

Xanthogaleruca luteola ''Xanthogaleruca luteola'', commonly known as the elm-leaf beetle, is a beetle species in the family Chrysomelidae that is native to Europe but invasive in other parts of the world.http://cisr.ucr.edu/elm_leaf_beetle.html - Center for Invasive ...

'', elm yellows (elm phloem necrosis) and

leafminer A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera), sawflies (Symphyta, a paraphyletic group which ...

s in the US.

Cultivation

The tree was briefly propagated and marketed 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 1971 to 1977, during which time only four were sold.Hillier & Sons (1977). ''Catalogue of Trees & Shrubs''. Hillier, Ampfield, UK.Hillier & Sons ''Sales inventory 1962 to 1977'' (unpublished). There are no known

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 ...

s of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce beyond the United States.

American testing

The David Elm has shown some promise as a result of testing at the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

(OSU) in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

.Struve, D. K. and Rhodus, T. (1990). Turning copper into gold. ''Amer. Nurseryman'', 172: 114-123. At OSU, the plants were cultivated in copper-lined pots and planted in a wide lawn under a powerline and in small home lawns. The tree's performance has been mixed, but shows potential. Some specimens did extremely well, while others struggled. The tree seems to perform well on disturbed sites, in calciferous (alkaline) soils, and also seems to have a better tolerance for wet soil than the literature has indicated. A number of strong saplings were cultivated that show promise. Some saplings underwent judicious pruning early on to maximize structural stability of the plant ("pruning can help the plant result in a more structurally stable branching pattern" D'Amato, N. & Sydnor, T. (2005). ''David Elm use for increasing biodiversity'', Columbus, Ohio, USA

/ref>), and blue-colored tree shelters were used on some plants until the stem reached a diameter of 25–37 mm. Additional observation shows that at least 50% of emerging leaves on the trees survived a hard freeze that lasted 5 days during April 2007. Leaves were approximately 70% emerged when temperatures fell to −6° Celsius, C (21° F). Temperatures fell below freezing for 5 days (April 4–8, 2007).

Notable trees

The UK TROBI Champion is a relatively young tree at White House Farm, Ivy Hatch, Kent, measuring 5 m high by 17 cm

in 2009.Johnson, O. (2011). ''Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland'', p. 168. Kew Publishing, Kew, London. .

Etymology

The tree is named for Father

, the French missionary and naturalist who introduced the tree to France in the 19th century.

Accessions

;North America *

, US. Acc. nos. 5957 (wild collected), 785-80 (cult. from wild material). *

Brenton Arboretum The Brenton Arboretum is a 141-acre arboretum and public garden in Dallas Center, Iowa, United States, established in 1997. The arboretum displays 175 native Iowa trees and shrubs suitable to the site, as well as many other tree species which c ...

, US. No details available. *

Chicago Botanic Garden The Chicago Botanic Garden is a botanical garden situated on nine islands in the northern Cook County Forest Preserves. It features 27 display gardens and five natural habitats including Mary Mix McDonald Woods, Barbara Brown Nature Reserve, Di ...

, US. Five trees, no other details available. *

Dawes Arboretum The Dawes Arboretum is a nonprofit arboretum located in Newark, Ohio. It includes nearly of plant collections, gardens and natural areas. The site includes approximately 12 miles (19 km) of hiking trails and roadways for a four-mile (6&nb ...

, US

Newark, Ohio, Newark, US. Two trees, Acc. nos. D1997-0455.001 & D2006-0032.001.Tree and foliage photographs labelled ''Ulmus davidiana'' var. ''mandshurica'', Dawes Arboretum, Newark, Ohio; dawesarb.arboretumexplorer
/ref> *

Denver Botanic Gardens The Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in the Cheesman Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the ...

, US. Acc. no. 950870. No details available. *

Holden Arboretum The Holden Arboretum, in Kirtland, Ohio, is one of the largest arboreta and botanical gardens in the United States, with more than , including devoted to collections and gardens. Diverse natural areas and ecologically sensitive habitats make u ...

, US. Acc. no. 00-318, Three specimens wild collected. *Morton Arboretum, US. Acc. no. 427-84 *

United States National Arboretum The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in northeast Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It was established in 1927 by an act of Congress after a campaign by USDA ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, US. Acc. no. 64463 ;Europe * Arboretum Poort Bultenbr>

Losser Losser () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. It is at the eastern end of the A1 motorway. Population centres Losser The oldest known reference to Losser dates from the tenth century.Stenvert, R. et al. (1998). ''Monumenten ...

, The Netherlands. Acc. no. LOS0243. *

Brighton & Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...

City Council, UK.

NCCPG Plant Heritage, formerly known as the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG), is a registered charity and a botanical conservation organisation in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978 to combine the talents of bot ...

Elm Collection. *

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. 510 *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. 18095 * Linnaean Gardens of Uppsala, Sweden. Acc. no. 2001-1659, obtained from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. *

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Botanic Garden, UK. Acc. no. 0004891. *

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 ...

, UK. Acc. no. 20030905 grown from seed wild collected in Korea. *

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is an arboretum comprising 72 hectares (180 acres) accommodating over 42,000 trees and shrubs in about 12,000 taxa, notably a collection of oaks, camellia, magnolia and rhododendron. The Gardens are located north ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, UK. Acc. nos. 2000.0018, 2004.0514 *

Wijdemeren City Council 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 ...

, Netherlands. Elm collection. Planted Smeerdijkgaarde, Kortenhoef 2013.

References

External links

Photographs labelled ''U. davidiana'' (varieties not specified) on Plant Photo Bank of China, ppbc.iplant