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| Ulmus minor subsp. angustifolia | ||||||||||||||||
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 Cornish Elm, Finistere, France, in 1996. Photo: Eric Collin, Cemagref
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| Ulmus minor subsp. angustifolia Mill., (Weston), Stace |
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Ulmus minor Mill. subsp. angustifolia (Weston) Stace , the Cornish Elm, before the advent of Dutch elm disease was a tall, slender, slow-growing deciduous tree once common across much of south-west England, southern Ireland, and Brittany.
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Description
Growing to over 30 m, the tree was distinguished by a long, straight trunk culminating in a narrow fan-shaped crown comprising short, straight, ascending branches. The leaves are small, obovate to oval, typically acuminate at the apex, < 60 mm long by 35 mm broad with a dark green upper surface, glossy and smooth. The reddish apetalous wind-pollinated flowers occur in clusters of between 15 and 20 on very short pedicels. The samarae rarely ripened in England, but when mature were very similar to those of the Field Elm group generally, being mostly obovate < 16 mm by 10 mm.
Cultivation and uses
The origin of the Cornish Elm in the UK remains a matter of contention; commonly assumed to have been introduced from Brittany by man, it is also considered possible that it may have survived the Ice Ages on lands to the south of Cornwall long since lost to the sea [1]. Certainly, its current distribution owes much to man's activities. The tree was traditionally considered the best choice for providing shelter along the Cornish coast, moreover its timber was much prized for its strength, and commonly used in wheel and wagon construction [2].
No mature specimens are known to have survived the current Dutch elm disease pandemic in the wild in England [2], but suckers remain a common component of hedgerows, and thus the genetic resources of this subspecies are not considered endangered [3]. A classic example of this is the Great Elm of Rosuic, which attained a d.b.h. of over 2.5 m before succumbing to disease, but is now producing suckers. Again, like others of the species, propagation is by suckers, which the tree produces copiously [3] [4].
There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be available from any nurseries beyond Australia.
Arboreta etc. accessions
- North America
- Arnold Arboretum, acc. nos. 17676, and (two trees) acc. no. 328-81
- Bartlett Tree Nurseries, acc. no. 96-2161, (no details available)
- J. C. Raulston Arboretum, North Carolina State University, details unavailable.
- Europe
- Brighton & Hove City Council, UK, NCCPG Elm Collection holders, 12 trees in Bear Road Cemetery, 2 in Hove Cemetery, and 2 along Queen's Park Road.
- Selmeston Country Park, East Sussex. UK - 12 trees by the A27.
- Cambridge Botanic Garden [4], University of Cambridge, UK, as U. angustifolia var. cornubiensis, no accession details available.
- Australasia
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Australia [5]
Nurseries
- Australasia
References
- ^ White, J. & More, D. (2002). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
- ^ Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848-1929. Private publication. [1]
- ^ Richens, R. H. (1983). Elm. Cambridge University Press
- ^ Stace, C. A. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press
- ^ Spencer, R., Hawker, J. and Lumley, P. (1991). Elms in Australia. Australia: Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. ISBN 0724199624.
