Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra
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Slippery elm grows from southwestern Maine west to eastern North Dakota, south to central Texas, and east to northwestern Florida. They prefer moist, rich soils and are fairly shade tolerant.
Fruit: A coin-shaped, 1-seeded samara with no pubescence. They display from March to May.
Flowers: A greenish-red flower arranged in clusters of 5-20 flowers. Flowers display from February to April.
Uses: The wood is mixed with the wood of American elm to be sold as soft elm. Slippery elm is used for boxes, baskets, and crates. It has been used as an ornamental in the past, but the Dutch elm disease limits this use.
Ethnobotany: The mucilaginous inner bark was used by early settlers to treat coughs and diarrhea. Native Americans chewed on the inner bark to quench thirst. They also used the bark to make canoes.
Importance to wildlife: The seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. The twigs are browsed by deer and rabbits. The tree also provides nesting sites and thermal cover.
The bark of a slippery elm. Mature bark is thick, rough, and dark brown.
The inner wood of a slippery elm. Unlike American elm, slippery elm has reddish-brown inner wood without whitish stripes. The inner bark also contains a mucilaginous substance, which is where the tree gets the "slippery" epithet.
A single leaf on a slippery elm. Leaves are 9-15 cm long, abruptly short pointed to long pointed at the apex, usually unsymmetrical at the base, scabrous above, and hairy beneath.
A bud on a slippery elm. Leaf buds are 5-6 mm long, dark brown to nearly black, rusty-hairy, with 6 or more visible scales. They do not have terminal buds.
Leaf arrangement on a slippery elm. Leaves are simple and alternate.
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