Zelkova sinica Seeds | Chinese Zelkova
LATIN NAME: Zelkova sinica
COMMON NAME: Chinese Zelkova
Plant Profile
Zelkova sinica is a deciduous tree of the elm family, growing to twenty metres with a broad, vase-shaped crown and a trunk that divides low into several upright limbs. The leaves are ovate, sharply toothed and rough to the touch, and they turn a dull yellow-brown in autumn rather than a bright colour.
It is native to the mountains of central and northern China, where it grows on limestone slopes and along streams. The wood is hard, tough and elastic, and it is used for tool handles, for carts and for furniture, while the tree is planted along streets for its shape and its tolerance of pruning.
Science & Biotechnology
Zelkova is wind-pollinated like the elms, and its fruit is a small, wingless nut that ripens in autumn and is dispersed by wind and water. The genus is resistant to Dutch elm disease, which is why it has replaced elms in many street plantings in Europe and North America, though the Asian species are less commonly used than the Japanese Zelkova serrata.
The vase-shaped crown is the result of repeated forking: the trunk divides at two or three metres into limbs that themselves divide, producing a broad, flat-topped silhouette on a short trunk. That architecture is stable in wind and casts a light, dappled shade, both of which suit it to streets and plazas. The timber is also used for the handles of agricultural tools in northern China, where its resistance to shock is valued more than its appearance. The tree is also tolerant of drought once established, which is why it is used along roads in northern China where irrigation is not available.
Uses & Benefits
The wood is used for tool handles, for furniture and for construction, and it is valued for its resistance to splitting. The tree is planted as an ornamental and as a street tree, and in China it is also used for bonsai and for penjing, where the forking habit can be trained into a broad canopy.
The leaf is used as fodder in some regions, and the bark appears in local medicine. As a garden tree, it is tolerant of air pollution, of compacted soil and of hard pruning, which is why it is common in urban plantings where other trees fail.
Growing from Seed
Seed germinates without much pretreatment if sown fresh in autumn, or after three months of cold stratification in spring. Sow on the surface and cover lightly, since light improves germination, and prick out the seedlings when the first true leaves appear.
Plants want deep, moist soil and full sun, and they grow steadily rather than fast, adding half a metre a year on a good site. They transplant well when young, even bare-root, and they tolerate pruning into shape. Space street trees at eight metres, since the crown spreads wide, and avoid staking for more than two years.
Our Take
A tough, vase-shaped street and timber tree that does not shout, and one that will outlast most of what is planted beside it.
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