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Ulmaceae FAMILY

Ulmus serotina

Ulmus serotina

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

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[1]. Prefers a position in full sun, but tolerates light shade[2, 3]. Grows best in a moist, fertile, well-drained loamy soil, but can adapt to most soils and drier sites[3]. It is is found most frequently on moist clay or sandy loam soils, but it also grows on dry, rocky soils of limestone origin[1]. Plants are tolerant of urban pollution[3]. A fast-growing tree on good sites[1]. Plants resprout readily from the base if they are cut back[1]. 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[4]. 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[4].

Propagation

Seed - if sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates within a few days[4]. Stored seed does not germinate so well and should be sown in early spring[4], it requires 2 - 3 months stratification according to another report[5]. 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[6]. 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[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Ulmus+serotina>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Silvics of North America. Agricultural Handbook No. 654. — Burns. R.M. & Honkala. B.H. · USDA Forest Service; Washington DC. · 1990 · http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm ↩︎A very comprehensice guide to about 200 species of timber trees of N. America, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Mainly temperate species, plus a number of tropical species. It is downloadable from the Internet.
  2. [2]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  3. [3]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  5. [5]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  6. [6]Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. — McMillan-Browse. P. · Grower Books · 1985 · ISBN 0-901361-21-6 ↩︎Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.
  7. [7]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  8. [8]Ulmus davidiana var. japonica Nakai Upregulates Eosinophils and Suppresses Th1 and Th17 Cells in the Small Intestine — Lee H-S, Jang MS, Kim J-H, Hong C-P, Lee E-J, et al · 2013 ↩︎
  9. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎