( 58 ) 
DUTCH ELM. 
Ulmtis suberosa. U. foliis duplicato-serratis, rugosis ; floribm subsessilibus, 
conglomerate, tetrandris ;fructibus glabris ; cortice ramulorum suberoso-alato • 
This species is easily distinguished from the Common European Elm 
by its leaves, which are larger, thicker, rugged on both surfaces, and borne 
by short petioles. The flowers, also, are of a lighter tint and the seeds 
are larger. In the winter, when stript of its foliage, the Dutch Elm is 
recognized by its round buds, and by the thickness of its shoots of the 
preceding year. 
The bark of its young branches, as in the Red Elm, is full of mucilage, 
which, thirty years ago, was celebrated in cutaneous affections. It was 
preserved and given in decoction, in doses of 2 ounces, steeped in a quart 
of river water, reduced by boiling to a pint. This practice was long pre- 
valent ; but notwithstanding some authentic attestations of its success, it 
has fallen into disuse. 
The Dutch Elm so nearly resembles the Red Elm of the United States 
in its flowers, foliage and fruit, that it is not always easy to’ distinguish 
them : the most striking difference is in the buds ; those of the Red Elm 
are covered in the spring with a thick, reddish down ; those of the Dutch 
Elm, on the contrary, are smooth, or, at most, are lightly powdered on the 
edges of the scales. This European species attains a very lofty height and 
a considerable diameter. Its wood is softer than that of the common Elm ; 
but the writers on forest trees speak variously of its qualities, and I have 
consulted wheel-wrights without obtaining satisfactory information ; on 
the most favorable supposition, it is greatly inferior to the Twisted Elm. 
PLATE CXXIX. 
Plate 2, A branch with a leaf of the natural size. Fig. 1 , A seed of the natu- 
ral size. 
