WHITE ELM (American Elm) 



{Ulmiwi americana L.) 



TTHE famous shade tree of New England, whose 

 range, however, extends to the Rocky Mountains 

 and southward to Texas. In this State, however, it 

 is rather sparsely distributed and nowhere common. 

 It reaches an average height of 60 to 70 feet and a 

 diameter of 4 to 5 feet. The bark is dark gray, 

 divided into irregular, flat-topped, thick ridges, and 



is generally firm, 

 though on old trees 

 it tends to come off 

 in flakes. An in- 

 cision into the inner 

 bark will show alter- 

 nate layers of brown 

 and white. 



Because of its 

 spreading fan-shaped 

 form, graceful pen- 

 dulous branches, and 

 long life, the white 

 elm justly holds its 

 place as one of the 

 most desirable shade 

 trees. 



WHITE EDM 



Twig, one half 



natural size. 



Leaf, one-third natural size. 



The leaves are alternate, simple, 4 to 6 inches long, 

 rather thick, somewhat one-sided, doubly toothed 

 on the margin, and generally smooth above and 

 downy below. The leaf veins are very pronounced 

 and run in parallel lines from the midrib to leaf- 

 edge. 



The flowers are small, perfect, greenish, on slen- 

 der stalks sometimes an inch long, appearing before 

 the leaves in very early spring. The fruit is a light 

 green, oval shaped samara (winged fruit) with the 

 seed portion in the center and surrounded entirely 

 by a wing. A deep notch in the end of the wing is 

 distinctive of the species. The seed ripens in the 

 spring and by its wing is widely disseminated by 

 the wind. 



The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough, and diffi- 

 cult to split. It is used for hubs of wheels, saddle 

 trees, boats and ships, barrel hoops, and veneer for 

 baskets and crates. 



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