American Elm

Ulmus americana

American elm grows widely throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canda, with an eastern boundary of eastern Saskatchewan through central Texas. It grows best in rich, well-drained, loamy soils.

Fruit: A 10-12 mm long, elliptical single samara fringed with hairs but mostly glabrous. They ripen as the leaves unfold, in mid-March in the South to mid-June in the North.

Flowers: With such a large latitudinal range, flowering times vary by about 100 days depending on a tree's location. Trees will flower about 2-3 weeks before the appearance of leaves.

Uses: The wood is strong but lacks durability. It's used for crates, furniture, decorative panels, and fuel wood. The tree can be planted for erosion protection and as a windbreak. It was used as an ornamental in cities before Dutch elm disease was introduced.

Ethnobotany: Extracts of the inner bark were used for a variety of purposes by Native Americans in the southeastern United States.

Importance to wildlife: The flower, flower, and fruit are eaten by mice, squirrels, opossum, and a few species of bird. The trees provide thermal cover in the winter.

The full American elm tree. The branches of American elms arch upwards, creating a vase shaped crown. They can reach 100-200 feet in dense stands, but more typically grow to 80 feet tall.

A single leaf on an American elm. Leaves are 10-15 cm long, coarsely double toothed, often unequal at the base, smooth or rough above, and slightly hairy below. The upper side of the leaf is generally less rough than that of slippery elm.

The leaf arrangement on an American elm. Leaves are simple, alternate, two ranked.

The bud of an American elm. Leaf buds are 3-6 mm long, somewhat pointed, rounded, and flattened, with imbricate scales that are reddish brown with darker borders.

The inner bark of an American elm. The inner bark has alternating reddish brown and lighter colored streaks.

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