Ulmus pumila
Ulmus alata
Asiatic elm, dwarf elm, Siberian elm
wahoo, wing elm
gray to brown, deeply furrowed with interlacing ridges.
light brown to gray with shallow ridges and plates.
not winged;
twigs gray-brown, pubescent.
young and old-growth branches with opposite, prominent, regular corky wings;
twigs reddish brown, pubescent to glabrous.
dark brown, ovoid, glabrous;
scales light brown, shiny, glabrous to slightly pubescent.
apex acute;
scales brown to rusty, slightly pubescent.
blade narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, 2-6.5 × 2-3.5 cm, base generally not oblique, margins singly serrate, apex acute;
surfaces abaxially with some pubescence in axils of veins, adaxially glabrous;
lateral veins forking to 3 times per side.
blade lanceolate to oblanceolate, 3-6.9 × 0.6-3.2 cm, base somewhat cordate to oblique, margins doubly serrate, apex acute;
surfaces abaxially with trichomes on veins, tufts of pubescence in axils of veins, adaxially glabrous to scabrous.
tightly clustered fascicles, 6-15-flowered, 0.5 cm, flowers and fruits not pendulous, sessile.
short racemes, not pendulous, less than 2.5 cm;
pedicel 2-7 mm, not fully expanded until fruiting stage.
calyx shallowly lobed, lobes 4-5, glabrous;
stamens 4-8;
anthers brownish red;
stigmas green, lobes exserted.
calyx deeply lobed, symmetric, lobes 5;
stamens 5;
anthers red.
thickened, not inflated.
slightly thickened, not inflated.
brittle.
hard.
yellow-cream, orbiculate, 10-14 mm diam., broadly winged, glabrous, tip notched 1/3-1/2 its length.
gray-tan, often reddish tinged, lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, ca. 8 mm, narrowly winged, margins ciliate, cilia white, 1-2 mm.
= 28.
= 28.
Ulmus pumila
Ulmus alata
Ulmus pumila probably occurs in Vermont and West Virginia, but it has not been documented for those states.
Planted for quick-growing windbreaks, Ulmus pumila has weak wood, and its branches break easily in mature trees. It is easily distinguished from other North American elms by its singly serrate leaf margins. Ulmus pumila is similar to U. parvifolia Jacquin with its small, singly serrate leaves. Ulmus parvifolia, however, has smooth bark that sheds from tan to orange, and it flowers and sets fruit in the fall.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Often planted as a shade tree in the southern United States, Ulmus alata is also cultivated outside North America.
The name Ulmus pumila was incorrectly applied to this species by Walter in 1788.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
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MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, 
SW CO Wildflowers 
WildflowerSearch
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