Back
Ulmus laevis
European white elm
European white elm, fluttering elm, spreading elm, Russian elm (Eng), olmo temblón, olmo blanco (Spa), om pedunculat (Cat), zumar dilindaria (Baq).
Native
DID YOU KNOW...? This elm tree was believed to be from central and eastern Europe and western Asia, but recent studies carried out by the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes in Madrid have proved that it is native to the Iberian Peninsula.
DESCRIPTION
This is a deciduous tree that can be up to 35 m tall and which has a broad, dense crown. The leaves are alternate, serrated and asymmetrical at the base. It is easy to distinguish from the other species of elm trees because of its dry fruits (samaras), which have a ciliate margin (i.e., fringed with tiny hairs), and which hang down on a very long stalk.
ECOLOGY
This tree naturally occurs in near water courses and can even grow in soil which is flooded for long periods of time. It grows from sea level up to 1600-1700 m.
DISTRIBUTION
This species was believed to be from central and eastern Europe and western Asia, although it reaches as far as the French Pyrenees. Some of the populations studied on the Iberian Peninsula seem to confirm that it is native to this region, although it is also a species that has been cultivated as an ornamental and has become established in the wild in some places.
