Wych elm

Family Ulmaceae. It grows wild in the European part of Russia, Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Balkans, and Asia Minor.

Tree with a broad, rounded, dense crown, reaching 35 m in favorable conditions. Bark on the trunks is dark brown, remaining smooth for a long time; branches dark brown, young shoots densely hairy. Leaves large, up to 17 cm long, obovate, with sharply serrated margins, rough above and stiffly hairy beneath, dark green, on very short, pubescent petioles up to 0.5 cm long; turning yellow in autumn. Inconspicuous flowers on long peduncles are gathered in spherical clusters. Flowering lasts 4–7 days. Fairly large, greenish samarae with a notch at the apex are also in dense clusters.

Grows quickly. Demanding of soil and soil moisture. Shade-tolerant and frost-hardy. Tolerates urban conditions well. Relatively drought-resistant. Withstands crown pruning well. Fairly tolerant of gas pollution. Propagated by seed; ornamental forms by grafting. Lives up to 300 years. A large tree suitable for planting in parks as solitary, group, or avenue plantings, in combination with oak, maple, and linden. In cultivation since 1883.

Ornamental forms:

a) by crown shape: pyramidal (экзойская) (f. ехоniensis) - with a compact narrow-pyramidal crown; Camperdown (f. Camperdownii) - with a rounded crown and pendulous branches; weeping (f. pendula) - vigorous, with horizontally spreading main branches forming a flat-topped crown with drooping young branches; low (f. nana) - a dwarf, slow-growing form up to 2 m high, with small leaves;

b) by leaf shape: large-leaved (f. macrophylla); curly (f. crispa) - slow-growing, dwarf, with narrow deeply incised-toothed leaves with twisted teeth; horned (f. cornuta) - with 3–5-lobed leaves in the upper part;

c) by leaf coloration: yellowish (f. lutescens); yellow-variegated (f. aureo-variegata); purple (f. purpurea) - young leaves purple; dark-purple (f. atro-purpurea). A very beautiful form 'Lutescens' - its leaves appear cream-yellow in spring and later become yellowish-green; this form is not affected by Dutch elm disease of the elms.

Wych elm "Pendula" (Ulmus glabra "Pendula") is very good on a standard. An original small tree with a semi-spherical crown resembling an inverted bowl. Long branches with large dark-green leaves create a dense shady canopy under which one can shelter from the sun. Grows slowly. Height of an adult tree - no more than 5 m, diameter of the crown - up to 10 m. Shade-tolerant. Demanding of soil fertility. Winter-hardy, but in very severe winters the tips of the one-year shoots may be damaged by frost. Grafting is done onto wych elm as a standard at a height of 1 to 2.5 m.

based on materials from the website www.ultradrome.narod.ru