of New York 



77 



AMERICAN ELM 



Ulmus americana, Linnaeus 



OF ALL TREES native to North America, the American 

 Elm, also called White Elm and Water Elm, is prob- 

 ably the best known and most admired. For beauty, grace, 

 and stateliness this tree has no superior. 



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

 equally based. The 

 veins run straight 

 from the midrib to 

 the doubly - toothed 

 margins. 



The flowers appear 

 early in spring before 

 the leaves. They are 

 greenish and occur in 

 small drooping clus- 

 ters. 



The fruit is a small 

 seed, surrounded com- 

 pletely by a thin, flat, 

 membrane-like wing. 

 It matures after the 

 flowers, and is about 

 Vi of an inch across, 

 inch across. 



The bark is grayish-brown, rather thick, roughened by 

 shallow furrows, sometimes flaky or corky. The twigs are 

 smooth, reddish-brown, marked with obscure pale breathing 

 pores. The leaf-scars are marked with three distinct bundle- 

 scars. The buds are egg-shaped, usually smooth, covered 

 with 6 to 10 overlapping reddish-brown scales with darker 

 margins. 



The wood is heavy, hard, tough, rather durable, dark- 

 brown to red with lighter sapwood. It is used for barrels, 

 agricultural implements, posts, ties, and novelties. 



The American Elm has a total range of more than 2,500,- 

 000 square miles. It extends from Newfoundland west to 

 the Rocky Mountains, a distance of 3,000 miles, and south 

 to Florida and Texas, a distance of 1,200 miles. It is com- 

 mon in moist soils, especially along streams and swampy 

 lowlands, throughout New York, except in the Adirondacks 

 above 2,500 feet. It often reaches a height of 80 to 100 

 feet and a diameter of 2 to 4 feet. 



As a forest tree, the American Elm stands in the front 

 rank. Its wide range, good wood, rapid growth, and adapta- 

 tion to a wide range of soils, suggest good care and pro- 

 tection. 



AMERICAN ELM 

 One-fourth natural sire. 



