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, 5-9-lobed; corolla 0; stamens 4-9, 
with bright red anthers; ovary 2-celled; styles 2, green. 
FRUIT.—May; ovate, 1-seeded samaras, smooth both sides, 
hairy on the margin, % inch long, long-stemmed in crowded 
clusters. 
WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal bud absent; lateral buds ovoid, 
acute, flattened, glabrous, brown, 34 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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