The Trees of Vermont 



61 



ELM FAMILY 



THE ELMS 



We are fortunate in having in Vermont all of the elms of the eastern 

 United States except one small southern species. The tiny greenish flowers 

 have no petals but gracefully fringe the bare trees with their long, slender 

 stamens in early spring before the appearance of the leaves. The fruits are 

 supplied with a disk-like membranous wing. The leaves of all the elms 

 have a peculiar oblique base, full and rounded upon one side, sharply 

 wedge-shape on the other. 



The three native species are readily distinguished as follows : 



Inner bark mucilaginous Slippery Elm 



Inner bark not mucilaginous. 



Branchlets with corky wings Cork Elni 



Branchlets without corky wings White Elm 



Introduced species. — The English elm has occasionally been planted as a 

 shade tree, although for such purposes it is less stately than our common 

 white elm. Two European varieties have been more used for ornamental 

 plantings, though each of them is rather curious than ornamental. These 

 are the corky variety of the English elm, and the Camperdown or weeping 

 elm, which is a variety of the Scotch elm. The young branches of the 

 former are covered with conspicuous corky outgrowths, similar to those of 

 the native cork elm, but more strongly developed. The American cork 

 elm is distinguished from the English by its more downy bud-scales and by 

 the production of flowers in elongated clusters (racemes), whereas those of 

 the English elm are in close clusters. Other differences will readily be de- 

 tected by those having occasion to compare the two trees. The weeping 

 elm_is usually grafted on an upright stock, leading to a peculiar umbrella- 

 like development. 



WHITE ELM (AMERICAN elm). Uimus Americana Linn. 



Of all the native trees none has 

 done more than the white elm to 

 beautify the streets of our cities and 

 villages, or to grace our country hill- 

 sides and meadows. The spreading 

 vase-shaped head is its typical form, 

 but perfect trees are only found where 

 there has been a free development of 

 the branches from the sapling age. 

 Even when developing freely, how- 

 ever, the trees vary markedly in form, 

 o 1, r J I, • 1 WHITE ELM 



Some may be found which are very Leaves and fruit, x H. 



