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Common Trees 



AMERICAN ELM 



Ulmus americana, Linnaeus 



OF all trees native to North America, the American Elm, 

 also called White Elm and Water Elm, is probably 

 the best known and most admired. For beauty, grace and 

 stateliness this tree has few, if any, superiors. It is planted 

 widely as a shade and ornamental tree. 



The leaves are 

 simple, alternate, 4 

 to 6 inches long, un- 

 equally based. The 

 veins run straight 

 from midrib to the 

 doubly-toothed mar- 

 gins. 



The flowers ap- 

 pear early in spring 

 before the leaves. 

 They are greenish 

 and occur in small 

 drooping clusters. 



The fruit is a 

 small seed, sur- 

 rounded completely 

 by a thin, flat, mem- 

 brane-like wing. It matures after the flowers and is about 

 3^ of an inch across. 



The bark is grayish-brown, rather thick, roughened by 

 shallow furrows, sometimes flaky or corky. The twigs arc 

 smooth, reddish-brown, marked with obscure pale breath- 

 ing pores. The leaf-scars are marked with three distinct 

 bundle-scars. The buds are egg-shaped, usually smooth, 

 covered with 6 to 10 overlapping reddish-brown scales with 

 darker margins. 



The wood is heavy, hard, tough, rather durable, dark 

 brown to red. with lighter sapwood. It is used for bar- 

 rels, agricultural implements, posts, ties, and novelties. 



The American Elm has a total range of more than 

 2,500,000 square miles. It extends from Newfoundland 

 west to the Rocky Mountains, a distance of 3,000 miles, 

 and south to Florida and Texas, a distance of 1,200 miles. 

 It is common throughout Ohio, being most abundant in the 

 northern and northwestern parts. It often reaches a height 

 of 80 to 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 4 feet. 



As a forest tree, the American Elm stands in the front 

 rank. Its wide range, good wood, rapid growth and adap- 

 tation to a wide range of soils, suggest good care and pro- 

 tection for this tree. 



AMERICAN ELM 

 One-fourth natural size. 



