44 



Cornell Junior Extension Bulletin 26 



34. SLIPPERY ELM 



Red Elm 

 i Ulmus fulva Michaux) 



Slippery elm is a medium-sized foresl tree of stream banks and low 

 ferl ile slopes and is common south of the Adirondacks. The wood is hard, 

 heavy, strong, eoarse-grained, and fairly durable in contad with the 



SLIPPEBl v:lm 

 Twig, one-half uatural size; 

 leaf, one-third natural size ; fruit, 

 one-half natural size 



soil. This tree is not an important commercial species but is used for 

 fence posts, ties, barrel staves and hoops. 



Bark — grayish brown in color, more or less deeply furrowed, the ridges 

 tending to lift more along one edge than in the American elm ; layers of 

 outer bark reddish brown in color, shows no alternate layers of brown and 

 white as in the American elm; inner bark, next to the wood, whitish, 

 strongly mucilaginous, giving the name "slippery elm." 



Twigs — light gray in color, hairy, somewhat rough, characteristically 

 mucilaginous when chewed. 



Winter buds — terminal bud absent as in American elm; lateral buds 

 Y^ inch long, dark chestnut brown in color, covered at tip with long, 

 rusty hairs. 



Leaves — alternate, simple, oval, from 5 to 7 inches long, unequal at 

 the base, margin with coarse saw-like edge; at maturity thick, dark 

 green in color above, decidedly rough to the touch, paler and white- 

 hairy below; midrib and parallel veins prominent. 



Fruit — flat-winged, but not notched at the end. from ^ to % inch 

 long, containing one seed; in clusters, maturing in late May or early 

 June when the leaves are about hall' grown, railing soon thereafter. 



