MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 41 
THE SCOTCH OR WYCH ELM 
Among foreign deciduous trees for ornamental planting in 
the vicinity of St. Louis the Scotch or wych elm (Ulmus 
glabra) is one of the most desirable. It is better adapted to 
our changeable climatic conditions and more able to endure 
the smoky atmosphere of the city than most trees. It is a 
splendid tree for lawn and park planting, the head being 
well massed yet so well broken as to make its general aspect 
very beautiful. The photograph of a specimen in the Mis- 
souri Botanical Garden shows its typical form (plate 7). This 
specimen has a spread of branches of 30 feet and a height of 
about 40 feet. Ulmus glabra generally retains its leaves sev- 
eral weeks longer in the fall than either the English or Amer- 
ican elms and consequently is more desirable as a shade tree. 
It can usually be distinguished from the other elms common 
in this vicinity by the large very rough leaves with a stalk 
so short that it is frequently hidden by the base of the blade. 
The drooping of the branches at their extremities is also char- 
acteristic. The word ‘‘wych”’ originally meant ‘‘drooping,’’ 
and the popular name of the tree has nothing to do with 
witches as is generally supposed. 
The Scotch elm is a native of Europe and northern Asia to 
the Amur region. In some of the more favorable regions of 
its native habitat it attains a height of 100 to 120 feet, but 
it is generally much smaller, and a height of 40 to 50 feet 
may be considered an average. The branches are generally 
wide-spreading, the lower ones drooping at the extremities, 
the middle ones horizontal, and the upper ascending, form- 
ing an oblong or round-topped head. The bark of the branches 
remains smooth for many years, hence the specific name 
‘‘olabra,’? meaning smooth. The leaves are broad, rough 
above, hairy beneath, pointed at the apex, obovate to oblong- 
obovate, sharply and doubly toothed, the teeth pointed for- 
ward. The leaf-stalks are very short. The fruit is oval or 
roundish-obovate, little notched at the apex, with the seed, 
34-1 inch long, in the middle. The flowers are arranged in 
clusters, each flower having 5-6 stamens. 
