Ulmus campestris Seeds | Wych Elm
LATIN NAME: Ulmus campestris
COMMON NAME: Wych Elm
Plant Profile
The wych elm is the elm of northern Europe, and the name on the label is a muddle. Ulmus campestris is an old synonym of Ulmus minor, the field elm of southern and central Europe, and seed sold under either name may be either species or a hybrid. The two differ in leaf base and in the shape of the crown: U. minor has a short, asymmetrical leaf base and a narrow crown, while U. glabra, the true wych elm of Britain, has a broad crown and larger leaves.
Whichever name applies, the tree is a large deciduous elm with doubly toothed leaves, short-stalked and rough on top, and winged samaras that ripen in late spring and blow away within days. The timber is tough, cross-grained and resistant to splitting, which is why elm was used for wheel hubs, chairs and coffin boards.
Science & Biotechnology
Dutch elm disease is the fact that defines the genus in Europe. The fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi grows in the xylem and blocks water movement, and it is carried from tree to tree by bark beetles of the genus Scolytus, which breed under the bark of dying elms and fly in early summer. The tree responds by plugging its own vessels with tyloses, which stops the spread and also stops the water.
Resistance exists in a few Asian species, and breeding programmes in the Netherlands and in Italy have produced hybrids with useful tolerance. The fungus has also changed: the pandemic that began in the 1970s involved a more aggressive strain than the one that arrived in the 1910s, and the older strain now survives mainly in isolated parts of Europe.
Uses & Benefits
The wood is the reason the tree was planted. Elm is tough, resists splitting and does not rot readily when alternately wet and dry, which suited it to boat keels, water pipes, wheel hubs and the seats of Windsor chairs. The inner bark was used for rope and for tanning, and the leaves were fed to cattle in times of scarcity.
In medicine the inner bark was a demulcent, used for sore throats and for skin complaints, and it appears in older herbals under the name of elm bark. The tree is now planted mainly as a shelterbelt and as a street tree in areas where the disease has already passed through.
Growing from Seed
Elm seed is short-lived and must be sown as soon as it is ripe, in late spring or early summer. Sow on the surface of a moist mix, cover lightly, and keep it warm; germination takes two to three weeks. Cuttings from root suckers are easier where a named tree is wanted.
The tree tolerates wet ground, clay and pollution, and it grows fast when young. Plant it in full sun, and inspect it each June for the flagging shoots and the small exit holes that signal bark beetle. There is no cure once the disease is established, and an infected tree should be felled and the stump killed, since roots graft to neighbours and carry the fungus across.
Our Take
A tree worth growing for the timber and the shelter, with the caveat that its name on a seed packet means very little and its future is decided by a beetle.
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