Practical
Plants

Ulmus parvifolia

Chinese Elm

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Taxonomy and growth

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

Uses

Edible uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[2][6]. Immature fruits, used just after they are formed - raw or cooked[2][5]. An aromatic, unusual flavour, leaving the mouth feeling fresh and the breath smelling pleasant[5]. It contains about 34.4% protein, 28.2% fat, 17% carbohydrate, 5% ash[5]. Inner bark - cooked. A mucilaginous texture[2][6]. No more details are given but inner bark is often dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[K].

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Inner bark
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.

The leaves are antidote and lithontripic[11]. The stem bark is demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, hypnotic and lithontripic[7][11]. The flowers are used in the treatment of fevers and neuritis[11].

Product or use
Antidote
Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Hypnotic
Product or use
Lithontripic

Material uses

Fairly resistant to maritime exposure, it can be grown in a shelter belt[K].

Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat
Rich soil and near water courses in W. China[3] at elevations below 800 metres[12]..
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - if sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates within a few days[10]. Stored seed does not germinate so well and should be sown in early spring[10]. One to two months stratification can improve germination rates. 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[13]. 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[10].

Cultivation

Easily grown in any soil of at least moderate quality so long as it is well drained[1]. Fairly tolerant of maritime exposure, it succeeds outdoors in a very exposed position at Rosewarne in N. Cornwall[K]. Resistant to 'Dutch elm disease', a disease that has destroyed the greater part of all the elm trees growing in Britain. The disease is spread by a beetle. 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[10]. The various species hybridize freely, the pollen stores well and can be kept for use with species that flower at different times[10]. Trees retain their leaves until early in the new year[4] and in areas with mild winters will often retain them until new leaves are formed in the spring[9]. A good companion for grapes[8]. There are some named forms, developed for their ornamental value. 'Frosty' and 'Geisha' are small bushes whilst 'Pumila' is a minute bush for the rock garden.

References

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

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Wilson. E. H. Plantae Wilsonae.

    ↩

  4. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

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  5. Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  7. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  8. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  11. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

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

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