THE NETTLE FAMILY. URTICACE^E 



IT is a long call from the stinging nettle to the elm tree, 

 and yet on account of resemblances which are not apparent to 

 every one, they belong to the same family and it is the nettle, 

 not the elm, that gives the name. It is a large family of mostly 

 tropical plants, and a detailed account of their characteristics 

 is not necessary that we may appreciate the beauties of the elm 

 tree. 



I. THE ELMS 



These are all trees with simple alternate leaves, always prom- 

 inently pinnately veined and usually oblique at the base. 

 The fruit is a flat nutlet, winged all around, and falls early in 

 the season. The genus contains a small number of trees, all 

 highly valued for their beauty of form and the strength of their 

 wood. 



i. THE WHITE ELM. Ulmus americana. Linnaeus. 



The white or American elm is one of the biggest, most widely 

 distributed and best-known trees on the continent. It grows 

 at times to a height of more than one hundred feet, with massive 

 trunk and branches. Strong buttresses often run up the trunk 

 from the large roots. 



The tree is easily distinguished by its rough, gray bark, Jong, 

 supple, and sometimes drooping branches, and simple, pinnately 

 veined leaves arranged in two ranks. The leaves are coarsely 

 toothed or double-toothed and quite oblique at the base. The 

 fruit, a nutlet surrounded by a wing, ripens and falls in June. 



No tree in America has been more popular for street and park 

 planting. Its large size, graceful spreading top and long life 



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