The Trees of Vermont 131 



URTICACEAE 



Slippery Elm. Bed Elm 

 Ulmus fulva Michx. [Ulmus pubescens Walt.] 



Habit. — A medium-sized tree 40-60 feet high, with a short trunk 

 1-2 feet in diameter; spreading branches form a broad, open, flat- 

 topped crown. 



Leaves. — Alternate, simple, 4-7 inches long, about one-half as 

 broad ; ovate-oblong ; coarsely doubly serrate ; thick and firm ; dark 

 green and rough above, paler and somewhat rough beneath ; petioles 

 short, stout, hairy. 



Flowers. — April, before the leaves; mostly perfect; borne on 

 short pedicels in crowded fascicles ; calyx campanulate, 5-9-lobed, 

 green, hairy ; corolla ; stamens 5-9, with dark red anthers ; stigmas 2, 

 reddish purple. 



Fruit. — May; semi-orbicular, 1-seeded samaras, short-stalked in 

 dense clusters ; seed cavity brown-tomentose ; wings smooth, nearly ^ 

 inch long. 



Winter-buds. — Terminal bud absent ; lateral buds ovoid, obtuse, 

 dark brown, rusty-tomentose, % inch long. 



Bark. — Twigs at first bright green and pubescent, becoming light 

 to dark brown or grayish ; thick on old trunks, dark red-brown, shal- 

 lowly fissured into large, loose plates ; inner bark mucilaginous. Plate 

 V. 



Wood. — Heavy, hard, strong, very close-grained, durable, easy to 

 split while green, dark red-brown, with thin, lighter colored sapwood. 



Distribution. — Occasional throughout Vermont. 



Habitat. — Rich, rocky woods. 



Notes. — The slippery elm is not uncommon in Vermont. The 

 scattering trees of this species, however, usually are passed unnoticed 

 because it resembles the American elm so closely that it is not easy 

 to distinguish the two by general appearance. The stringy mucilagi- 

 nous bark of the slippery elm always is a sure means of recognition. 



Other means of distinguishing it are found in its circular fruits, 

 which appear in May ; these have smooth margins, whereas those of 

 both the other species are fringed with delicate hairs. The leaves are 

 large, rough above and soft-downy beneath. But the surest and 

 simplest test is the "slippery" bark. This has well-known medicinal 

 properties which give it a recognized value in the drug trade. The 

 slippery elm is usually found on rocky ridges and hillsides. 



