Ulmaceae

Elm Family

Elm Trees

FAMILY: Elm family (Ulmaceae) – Ulmus genus.

SPECIES: Siberian or dwarf elm (Ulmus pumila L.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: The inner bark, young leaves, and young fruits (samaras) are edible fresh or cooked. Dwarf elm outcompetes native trees for sunlight and is now abundant in many areas. It’s listed as a noxious species in several states.

The inner bark of dwarf elm (U. pumila) is a fairly decent wild food, at least when compared to that of other trees. Wood is only so appealing. Other parts taste less appealing. The inner bark has a pleasant flavor, but it’s excessively slimy. Elms rank among the better-tasting trees of North America, but their sliminess is unappealing. Dwarf elm inner bark is soft and easy to chew. A few pieces placed in simmering water will add flavor, color, and thickness to the water—especially thickness. Dwarf elm inner bark has a tremendous capacity for thickening. Fresh or dried bark is the same whitish-orange color. Dried elm bark is a great item for trail mixes. Drying won’t eliminate the slimy mucilage, but it will make it less noticeable. The inner bark of dwarf elm is available year-round, but acquiring a meaningful supply is labor-intensive.

NOTES: Despite passing forests of dwarf elms (U. pumila) hundreds of times in New Mexico, I somehow missed the young leaves and young fruits (samaras). Dwarf elm is the dominant southwestern species of the Ulmus genus. Since it’s native to Asia, it was never a part of the Native American diet, and no other elms are native to the southwestern United States. The dominant eastern species, American elm (U. americana) and slippery elm (U. rubra = U. fulva), were utilized primarily for their edible inner bark (Fernald p. 161). The elm photography is mostly from a protected area in Nevada, so I could not sample the young fruits and leaves.

IDENTIFICATION: The Ulmus genus is represented by 10-15 species in the United States. Only dwarf elm (U. pumila) grows in the Southwest and Great Basin. Simple leaves in combination with coin-like samaras is a sure sign of elms. No other southwestern trees have that simple, easy to remember, combination of features.

Description of dwarf elm (Ulmus pumila): FORM thornless tree about 10-30 meters tall; BARK deeply furrowed in age, the inner bark light orange-tan; TWIGS grayish-brown; BUDS rounded and covered with shiny, brown, overlapping scales; LEAVES simple; alternate; blades lance-elliptic, up to 7 cm long by 4 cm wide; lower surfaces with some hairs along the veins; upper surfaces hairless; margins single or weakly double-serrated; FLOWERS perfect, appearing early, with or before the leaves, ovary superior, and arranged in little rounded clusters along the branches; calyces bell-shaped, 4-6-lobed; stamens 4-8; FRUITS samaras round, flat, winged, hairless, 10-15 mm in diameter, and notched at the tips; green when young, becoming light grayish-brown when mature; HABITAT fields, mesas, streams, clearings in the mountains, and along roads; found in the northern half of the Southwest; blooming in late winter or early spring.

REFERENCES: Dwarf elm (Ulmus pumila): inner bark, young leaves, and fruits (samaras) Facciola (p. 243).