Ulmus serotina hybridizes in nature with Ulmus. Crassifolia , and the resulting progeny have been informally designated Ulmus arkansana , an unpublished name. In Arkansas and Oklahoma where hybrid swarms are common, specimens are often difficult to assign to either taxon[].

Common Name: September Elm

General Information

Ulmus serotina is a deciduous tree with a spreading, broadly rounded crown; it can grow up to 25 metres tall. The bole on larger trees can be 60 - 90cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. This is one of the four species that are harvested commercially for their wood, known collectively as 'rock elm'. The other three species are Ulmus thomasii (which is the actual rock elm), Ulmus crassifolia and Ulmus alata. The tree is sometimes grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern N. America,northeast Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia

Habitat

Limestone bluffs, stream sides, rich woods; at elevations up to 400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	18.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ulmus serotina is native to the humid to temperate zones of Eastern and Central United States. It is found in areas where the mean annual precipitation ranges from about 1,020 - 1,320mm, of which about 50 - 65% occurs in the growing season. The mean annual temperature range between 13 - 17°c, with an absolute low of -23°c and an absolute high of 46°c. The growing season averages between 180 - 220 days over the species range[].
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[]. It is is found most frequently on moist clay or sandy loam soils, but it also grows on dry, rocky soils of limestone origin[]. Plants are tolerant of urban pollution[].
A fast-growing tree on good sites[].
Plants resprout readily from the base if they are cut back[].
This species is particularly susceptible 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 USA. The disease is spread by means of beetles. Mature trees killed back by the disease will often regrow from suckers, but these too will succumb when they get larger. 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[].
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. We have no specific information for this species, but the very young leaves of all Ulmus species can be eaten, and generally have a mild flavour[].

Medicinal

Collectively, the bark of all species in the genus Ulmus may have anti-inflammatory effects in the gut[].

Other Uses

The reddish-brown wood is hard, close grained, very strong and can be polished to a high lustre. It is one of four species included as "rock elm" in commercial lumbering. This group has a specific gravity of 0.57 to 0.63 and moisture contents of 44 and 57 percent for the heartwood and sapwood, respectively. The wood also has excellent bending qualities[].

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[], it requires 2 - 3 months stratification according to another report[]. 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[].