THE ELM. 



Ulmus. 



Natural Order — Ulmace^. 

 Class — Pentandria. Order — Digynia. 



Of this tree, to which the cultivated parts of 

 England are so much indebted for the richness of 

 their landscape, there are many varieties. No 

 less than eighteen are described by Loudon which 

 are all referred to the commonest species, Ulmus 

 campestris. It will not be necessary here to sup- 

 ply even a catalogue of these, and it would be 

 impossible to point out the distinctive characters 

 of each without entering into a tedious and un- 

 profitable description, which the reader, if he 

 wishes to study the Elms botanically, will be able 

 to find in other works. Botanists are far from 

 being agreed as to which should be termed species, 

 and which varieties, so uncertain are the charac- 

 ters ; nor shall I attempt any settlement of the 

 question, but, omitting all notice of the rarer and 

 less strongly marked kinds, mention those only 

 which are either universally allowed to constitute 

 species, or, at least, very distinct varieties. 



All the Elms indigenous to Great Britain or 

 naturalized, agree in the following characters: — 

 They are lofty trees, having a straight columnar 

 trunk, with hard wood, a rugged bark, and zig- 

 zag, slender branches, which, when young, are 

 either downy or corky. Li winter and early 



