65 



XXIII. 



URTICACE/E. 



THE ELM. 



ULMUS. 



The order of Urticaceoe, or nettle-worts, com- 

 prises, besides tlie elm, "plants of little beauty," 

 among them being the stinging nettle, which 

 few people could have associated with such a 

 majestic tree. Comparatively small leaves, deli- 

 cate twiglets graduatmg into mighty arms, and 

 a dark grey rugged bark, are the charafteristics 

 of the elm. Familiar to evervone, it was well 

 known to the ancient Greeks, for Pliny tells us 

 that they had two distincrt kinds, one inhabiting 

 the mountains and the other the plains, and these 

 are the two prevailing species in Great Britain. 



The elm of the plain, U . campcstns, the com- 

 mon English elm, is a native of North America 

 and Siberia. Although there is no record of the 

 period of introduction, it has been probably planted 

 in England from the time of the Romans. 



U. campestris is frequently met with in our 

 hedgerows. The little red-purple flowers, which 



