AMERICAN ELM. 



501 





cative of a second, though abortive cell. The seeds ripen in May or Jnne, at 

 whicli time they may be collected and sown ; and, if properly treated, they will 

 immediately come up, and make strong shoots the first season. 



7. U. A. FULVA. Taivny-budded American Elm ; Ulmiis rubra, of Michaux : 

 Ulmus fidva, of Pursh, Loudon, and others; Onne rouge, Onne gras. of tht^ 

 French ; Gelbliche Ulnie, of the Germans ; Slippery Elm, Red Elm, Red-voodea 

 Elm, Moose Elm, of the British and Anglo-Americans. This tree bears a strong 

 resemblance to the Dutch cork-barked elm, (Ul- 

 mus campestris major,) of Europe. It often at- 

 tains a height of fifty or sixty feet, with a trunk 

 fiifteen or twenty inches in diameter. The bark 

 of its trunk is brown, and deeply-furrowed; and 

 that of the branches rough, and lighter coloured. 

 The leaves are ovate-oblong, acuminate, nearly 

 eq^ual, and more or less cordate at the base, ser- 

 rated, with unequal teeth, rugose, very rough, 

 and hairy on both surfaces; being larger, thicker, 

 and rougher than those of the Ulmus americana. 

 The leaf-buds, which are also larger and rounder 

 than those of that tree, are covered, a fortnight 

 before their developement, with a tawny, or rus- 

 setty down, by which this tree can readily be dis- 

 tinguished from any other variety. The flowers, ^> 

 which appear in April and May, are produced in ^^^ 

 tufts at the extremity of the young shoots ; and 

 the scales which surround the branches, like the buds, are covered with down ; 

 the calyx is downy and sessile ; the stamens short, and of a pale-rose colour. 

 The seeds, which usually ripen from the middle to the last of May, are large, 

 destitute of fringe, orbicular or obovate in shape, and strongly resemble those of 

 the English elm. With the exception of the maritime districts of Carolina, 

 Georgia, and Florida, this tree is found in almost every part of the United States, 

 and of Canada; but, in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, it is more multiplied 

 than east of the AUeghanies, where it grows on the richest lands of an uneven 

 surface. It is less abundant, however, than the Ulmus americana, with which it 

 rarely associates, as it requires a more substantial soil, somewhat free from mois- 

 ture, and even delights in elevated and open situations, such as the steep banks 

 of the Hudson and of the Susquehannah. The heart-wood is coarse-grained, and 

 less compact than that of the Ulmus americana, and is of a dull-red tinge ; whence 

 the name " Red Elm." Even in the branches of one or two inches in diameter, 

 the perfect wood forms the principal part. From its durability, the timber of 

 this tree is employed with advantage in the regions where it abounds, in the con- 

 struction of houses, and sometimes of ships. It is said to be the best of the Amer- 

 ican woods for making blocks employed in the rigging of vessels, and its scarcity 

 in the Atlantic states is the only cause of its limited consumption for that pur- 

 pose. It also makes excellent rails, which arc of long duration, and are formed 

 With little labour, as the trunk may be easily and regularly split. The bark, which 

 is very mucilaginous, contains certain proportions of sugar, galic acid, and super- 

 tartrate of potash. Medicinally, it is said to be alternative, tonic, and diuretic, 

 and is employed for the cure of herpetic, and leprous eru[)tions. The leaves, 

 which emit an agreeable smell, have been employed as food for the larva of the 

 silk-moth. The bark and small branches, with the leaves, macerated in water, 

 yield a thick and abundant mucilage, which is used in forming a roln^shiug and 

 soothing drink, in coughs and rheums. This mucilage is also .substituted lor the 

 roots of the marsh mallow, (Althaea officinalis,) in making ciuollicnt suppurative 

 cataplasms. 



