Cornish Elm
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 Cornish Elm. E. Collin, (Cemagref), 1996, Finistere, France
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| Ulmus minor subsp. angustifolia Mill., (Weston), Stace |
The Cornish Elm U. minor Mill. subsp. angustifolia (Weston) Stace was, before the advent of Dutch elm disease, a tall, slender, slow-growing tree once common across much of south-west England, southern Ireland, and Brittany. Growing to over 30 m, it was characterized by a long, straight trunk culminating in a narrow fan-shaped crown comprising short, straight, ascending branches.
The leaves are small, obovate to oval, typically acuminate at the apex, < 60 mm long by 35 mm broad with a dark green upper surface, glossy and smooth. The reddish petal-less flowers occur in clusters of between 15 and 20 on very short pedicels. The samarae rarely ripened in England, but when mature were very similar to those of the Field Elm group generally, being mostly obovate, < 16 mm by 10 mm. Again, like others of the species, propagation was usually by suckers, which the tree produced copiously.
The origin of the Cornish Elm remains a matter of contention; commonly assumed to have been introduced from Brittany by Man, it is also considered possible that it may have survived the Ice Ages on lands to the south of Cornwall long since lost to the sea (White, J. & More, D., 2002). Certainly, its current distribution owes much to man's activities. The tree was traditionally considered the best choice for providing shelter along the Cornish coast, moreover its timber was much prized for its strength, and commonly used in wheel and wagon construction.
No mature specimens are known to have survived the current Dutch elm disease pandemic in England, but suckers remain a common component of hedgerows, and thus the genetic resources of this subspecies are not considered endangered.
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[edit] Cultivars
None known
[edit] Hybrid cultivars
None known
[edit] Arboreta etc. accessions
[edit] North America
- Arnold Arboretum, acc. nos. 17676, and (two trees) acc. no. 328-81
- Bartlett Tree Nurseries, acc. no. 96-2161, (no details available)
- J. C. Raulston Arboretum, North Carolina State University, details unavailable.
[edit] Europe
- Brighton & Hove City Council, UK, NCCPG Elm Collection holders, one immature tree.
[edit] Nurseries
[edit] North America
None known.
[edit] Europe
None known (last listed in the UK in 2001).
[edit] Australasia
- Established Tree Transplanters Pty. Ltd., Wandin, Victoria, Australia. [1]
[edit] Synonymy
- Ulmus minor var. cornubiensis: Richens, Elm, 1983.
- Ulmus pyramidalis: C. de Vos, Woordenbeck 137, 1867.
- Ulmus stricta: Lindley
- Ulmus suberosa fastigiata: Audibert (Tonelle, France) Cat. 2, p 53, 1831-32.
[edit] References
- Armstrong, J. V. & Sell, P. D. (1996). A revision of the British elms (Ulmus L., Ulmaceae): the historical background. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 120: 39-50.
- Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848-1929. Private publication. [2]
- Green, P. S. (1964). Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus. Arnoldia, Vol. 24. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. [3]
- Melville, R. (1978). On the discrimination of species in hybrid swarms with special reference to Ulmus and the nomenclature of U. minor (Mill.) and U. carpinifolia (Gled.). Taxon 27: 345-351.
- Richens, R. H. (1983). Elm. Cambridge University Press.
- Stace, C. A. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press.
- White, J. & More, D. (2002). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
[edit] External links
- http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=7839 Cornwall County Council. (2002). Elms in Cornwall
- http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/Networks/euforgen/Networks/Scattered_Broadleaves/NHStrategies/UlmusSppConsStrategy.htm].
