Practical
Plants

Ulmus americana

American Elm

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Ulmus genus in the family Ulmaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Ulmaceae
Genus
Ulmus
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
25 m
Spread
25 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked. The red inner bark has been used to make a coffee-like drink[10].

Product or use
Coffee
Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An infusion made from the bark has been used in the treatment of bleeding from the lungs, ruptures, coughs, colds, influenza, dysentery, eye infections, cramps and diarrhoea[7][10]. An infusion of the bark has been taken by pregnant women to secure stability of children[10]. A decoction of the bark has been used as a wash on wounds[10]. A decoction of the inner bark has been taken in the treatment of severe coughs, colds, menstrual cramps[10]. An infusion of the inner bark has been drunk, and used as a bath, in the treatment of appendicitis[10]. An infusion of the root bark has been used in the treatment of coughs, colds and excessive menstruation[10]. A decoction has been used as an eye wash in the treatment of sore eyes[10]. The inner bark has been used as an emollient on tumours[10].

Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Birthing aid
Product or use
Haemostatic
Product or use
Salve

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A fibre obtained from the stems is used in making paper[5]. The stems are harvested in spring, the leaves are removed and the stems steamed until the fibres can be stripped. The outer bark is removed from the inner bark by scraping or peeling. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye and then beaten with mallets. The paper is beige in colour[5]. The inner bark is very fibrous and is used in making string and strong ropes[2][7]. The bark has been used to make various containers, including those used for gathering maple syrup[7]. Wood - hard, strong, heavy, durable, coarse grained, shrinks moderately though it tends to warp and twist, it bends well and is difficult to split. The wood is very durable in water. It weighs 40lb per cubic foot and is harvested commercially for flooring, wheel hubs, cooperage, agricultural implements and many other uses[13][14][16][2][3][7][8].

Product or use
Containers
Product or use
Paper
Product or use
String
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Manitoba, Florida and Texas.
Habitat
Rich soils, especially by streams and in lowlands[12][16]. Found on a range of soil types, from acidic to mildly alkaline[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - if sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates within a few days[6]. Stored seed does not germinate so well and should be sown in early spring[6]. 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[15]. 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[6].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a fertile soil in full sun[4], but it can be grown in any soil of at least moderate quality so long as it is well drained[1]. Trees are moderately fast-growing and live for at least 300 years in the wild[8][9], but they do not thrive in Britain[1]. This species is particularly susceptible to 'Dutch elm disease'[11], a disease that has destroyed the greater part of all the elm trees growing in Britain. 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[6]. 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[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-292-78958-3

    ↩1↩2

  3. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩

  4. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  5. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  7. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2

  9. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2

  10. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  11. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

  12. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  13. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  14. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  15. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩

  16. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2

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