FAMILY: ULMACEAE
ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: red elm
LEAVES: alternate, simple, deciduous; 5-7”
long x 1-3” wide; oblong-obovate to elliptical, acuminate
tip, asymmetrical base, doubly serrate margin; very scabrous
above, very pubescent below
FLOWER: flowers very early, often in January,
before leaves; long pedicelled, fascicles of 3 or 4
FRUIT: ovoid samara, 1/2-3/4 inch, deeply
notched, glabrous margin
TWIGS: zigzag, slender, rough, reddish;
terminal winter buds absent; lateral buds ovoid, covered with
reddish woolly hairs; branchlets often ascend; very tough
and stringy; mucilaginous when chewed
BARK: gray, furrowed, slippery inner bark
FORM: medium sized tree, 70-80 ft, form
similar to American
elm
HABITAT: moist, well drained sites
WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative (FAC): Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
RANGE: eastern US
USES: minor importance, similar to American elm
Best Recognition Features:
- scabrous leaves with asymmetrical bases
- rough, reddish twigs with hairy blunt lateral buds
- ovoid samara with glabrous margins
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