of New York 





79 



ROCK ELM 



Ulmus racemosa, Thomas 



'HE Rock Elm. also called Cork Elm, reaches a height of 

 100 feet and a trunk diameter of 5 feet. 



inches long and 



The leaves are alternate, simple, 3 to 

 about one- 

 half as wide. 

 They are 

 coarsely 

 toothed 

 along the 

 margin, un- 

 equally 

 based, thick 

 and firm in 

 texture. 



The flowers 

 appear in 

 March and 

 April before 

 the leaves. 

 They occur 

 in slender 

 s t a 1 k e d|; 

 droop ing, &u, 

 raceme - like ^ a - 

 clusters. R0CK ELM 



The fruit matures in May. It is a small one-seeded 

 samara, surrounded with a thin membranous wing about 

 one-half of an inch long and hairy all over. 



The bark on the main trunk is thick, ridged with wide 

 furrows separating flat scaly ridges. The twigs are at first 

 light-brown and hairy, become shiny reddish-brown, finally 

 grayish-brown with corky winged projections. The buds 

 are alternate, egg-shaped, brownish, about one-fourth of an 

 inch long, with minutely hairy bud-scales. 



The wood is heavy, very strong, tough, light reddish- 

 brown with light sapwood. It is used for purposes requir- 

 ing toughness, solidity and flexibility. 



The Rock Elm is found from Quebec, westward to On- 

 tario, Michigan and Wisconsin and northeast Nebraska, and 

 southward to New York and central Indiana. In New York 

 this tree is found chiefly in the western and central parts of 

 the State. It occurs from St. Lawrence county south to Her- 

 kimer and Broome counties. It is a valuable timber tree and 

 occasionally planted for shade and ornamental purposes. 



