URTICACEAE 



White Elm. American Elm. Water Elm 



Ulmus americana, L. 



HABIT. A tree 75-100 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 

 2-6 feet; commonly dividing 20-30 feet above the ground into a 

 few large branches which rise upward and outward to form a 

 vase-shaped outline. 



LEAVES. Alternate, simple, 4-6 inches long, one-half as 

 broad; obovate-oblong to oval; coarsely doubly serrate; thick 

 and firm; dark green and rough above, pale and pubescent or 

 glabrous beneath; petioles short and stout. 



FLOWERS. March- April, before the leaves; mostly per- 

 fect; small, brown to red; 'borne on slender pedicels in loose 

 fascicles; calyx campanulate, 5-p-lobed; corolla o; stamens 4-9, 

 with bright red anthers ; ovary 2-celled ; styles 2, green. 



FRUIT. May; ovate, i-seeded samaras, smooth both sides, 

 hairy on the margin, */ 2 inch long, long-stemmed in crowded 

 clusters. 



WINTER-BUDS. Terminal bud absent; lateral buds ovoid, 

 acute, flattened, glabrous, brown, Y% inch long. 



BARK. Twigs at first light green and downy, becoming 

 glabrous, red-brown, finally ash-gray ; on old trunks thick, ash- 

 gray, deeply fissured into broad, scaly ridges. 



WOOD. Heavy, hard, strong, tough, difficult to split, coarse- 

 grained, light brown, with thick, lighter colored sapwood. 



DISTRIBUTION. Common throughout the state. 



HABITAT. Prefers deep, rich, moist loam; bottom-lands; 

 stream-banks. 



NOTES. Grows rapidly. Long-lived. The roots run along 

 near the surface of the ground for a great distance. An ideal 

 street tree. 



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