AMERICAN ELM. 
" I 
cative of a second, though abortive cell. The seeds ripen in May or Jan.. at 
which Ume they may be collected and sown; and, if properly tre L t w 
immediately come up, and make strong shoots the first season 
777 -k Tawny-budded American Elm ; Ulmus rubra, of Michaux 
Ulmus fuhaoi Pursh, Loudon, and others; Orme rovgc, OrnU eras, of th 
J? aI If 16 f^ D of the Germans ; Slippery Elm, Red Elm, Redwoods a 
Elm, Moose Elm of the British and Anglo-Americans. This tree bears a strong 
resemblance to the Dutch cork-barked elm, (Ul- 
mus campestris major,) of Europe. It often at- 
tains a height of fifty or sixty feet, with a trunk 
fifteen or twenty inches in diameter. The bark 
of its trunk is brown, and deeply-furrowed; and 
that of the branches rough, and lighter coloured. 
The leaves are ovate-oblong, acuminate, nearly 
equal, and more or less cordate at the base, ser- 
rated, with unequal teeth, rugose, very rough, 
and hairy on both surfaces ; being larger, thicker, 
and rougher than those of the Ulmus americana. 
The leaf-buds, which are also larger and rounder 
than those of that tree, are covered, a fortnight 
before their developement, with a tawny, or rus- 
setty down, by which this tree can readily be dis- 
tinguished from any other variety. The flowers, 
which appear in April and May, are produced in 
tufts at the extremity of the young shoots ; and 
the scales which surround the branches, like the buds, are covered with down ; 
the calyx is downy and sessile ; the stamens short, and of a pale-rose colour. 
The seeds, which usually ripen from the middle to the last of May, are lai _ 
destitute of fringe, orbicular or obovate in shape, and strongly resemble those ol 
the English elm. With the exception of the maritime districts of Carolina, 
Georgia, and Florida, this tree is found in almost every part of the United Stati s, 
and of Canada; but, in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, it is more multiplied 
than east of the Alleghanies, where it grows on the richest lands of an uneven 
surface. It is less abundant, however, than the Ulmus americana, with which it 
rarely associates, as it requires a more substantial soil, somewhat free from mois- 
ture, and even delights in elevated and open situations, such as the steep banks 
of the Hudson and of the Susquehannah. The heart-wood is coarse-grained, and 
less compact than that of the Ulmus americana, and is of a dull-red tinge : winner 
the name "Red Elm." Even in the branches of one or two inches in diameter, 
the perfect wood forms the principal part. From its durability, the timber of 
this tree is employed with advantage in the regions where it abounds, in the con- 
struction of houses, and sometimes of ships. It is said to be the best of the Amer- 
ican woods for making blocks employed in the rigging of vessels, and its scarcity 
in the Atlantic states is the only cause of its limited consumption for thai pur- 
pose. It also makes excellent rails, which are of long duration, and are formed 
with little labour, as the trunk may be easily and regularly split. The bark, wlueb 
is very mucilaginous, contains certain proportions of sugar, galic acid, and super- 
tartrate of potash. Medicinally, it is said to be alternative, tome, and diuretic, 
and is employed for the cure of herpetic, and leprous eruptions. The leaves, 
which emit an agreeable smell, have been employed as food for the larva' of the 
silk-moth. The bark and small branches, with the leaves, macerated in water, 
yield a thick and abundant mucilage, which is used m forming a refreshing and 
soothing drink, in coughs and rheums. This mucilage is also substituted for the 
roots of the marsh mallow, (Althaea officinalis,) in making i mollienl suppurative 
cataplasms. 
