Common Name: Siberian Elm

General Information

Ulmus pumila is a deciduous shrub or a tree with a broad, upright crown; it usually grows 15 - 20 metres tall, but can reach 25 metres. The bole can be up to 100cm in diameter[, , ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is also harvested commercially as a medicine and source of wood. The tree is sometimes grown in shelterbelts and has often been planted as an ornamental.
The plant self-sows freely, it sometimes escapes from cultivation and has been listed as 'Invasive' in some areas, such as the American Midwest[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Asia - Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan, eastern Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, China, Korea

Habitat

Dry sandy or stony soils, pebbles of river valleys, slopes and occasionally on rocks[]. Slopes, valleys and plains; at elevations from 1,000 - 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a position in full sun, but tolerates light shade[, ]. Grows best in a moist, fertile, well-drained loamy soil, but can adapt to most soils and drier sites[]. Plants are tolerant of urban pollution[]. Succeeds in poor soils and in a hot dry position[, ]. Established plants are drought resistant[, ]. Fairly wind-tolerant[].
A fast-growing tree, though the branches are weak-wooded, brittle and easily damaged by strong winds and winter ice/snow[].
This species, or at least some of its cultivars[], is resistant to 'Dutch elm disease', a disease that has destroyed the greater part of all the native elm trees growing in countries such as Britain and the USA. The disease is spread by means of beetles. There is no effective cure (1992) for the problem, but most E. Asian, though not Himalayan, species are resistant (though not immune) to the disease so the potential exists to use these resistant species to develop new resistant hybrids with the native species[].
This species used to be widely planted in N. America because of its toughness, rapid growth, ability to thrive under arduous growing conditions and resistance to Dutch elm disease. However, it has escaped from cultivation and become a noxious weed in several N. American states[, ].
The various species of this genus hybridize freely with each other and pollen is easily saved, so even those species with different flowering times can be hybridized[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , ]. Used as a potherb[].

Inner bark - cooked. It can be dried and made into noodles[, , ]. The dried inner bark can also be ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups or added to cereal flours when making bread etc[].

Fruit - raw or cooked[, ]. Used when immature, it can be made into a sauce and a wine[]. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The leaves are diuretic and febrifuge[]. They are used as a pot herb and are then said to be antibilious, antidote and lithontripic[].

The stem bark is demulcent, diuretic, febrifuge and lenitive[]. It is mixed with oil and vinegar then used as a poultice on abscesses, mastitis and swellings[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A fairly wind resistant tree, it can be grown as part of a shelterbelt planting and also to protect the soil fom erosion[, ].

Other Uses

The inner bark is an ingredient in the composition of incense[].

Coarse cloth and ropes are woven from the fibres obtained from the inner bark. The fibre is also used to make sandals[, ].

The wood is hard, heavy, tough, difficult to split. It is much used in the wood-working industries for agricultural implements, boat making etc[, ].

Propagation

Seed - if sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates within a few days[]. Stored seed does not germinate so well and should be sown in early spring[]. The seed can also be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it dries on the tree) and sown immediately in a cold frame. It should germinate very quickly and will produce a larger plant by the end of the growing season[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Plants should not be allowed to grow for more than two years in a nursery bed since they form a tap root and will then move badly[].
Layering of suckers or coppiced shoots[].