Among the deciduous trees, the elm is no stranger. Surely you have already seen the deciduous tree on forest walks. The elm is easy to recognize by the typical shape of the leaves. Perhaps you own a piece of furniture made from elm wood. This is known for its good quality. But did you know that only three of many different species are found here in Europe? The Asian continent has a much greater diversity of species. Unfortunately, the Dutch elm bark beetle has been endangering populations since 1920, the year it was first discovered. He's bringing in a menacing fungus. The following profile gives you a clear overview of these and other facts and properties of the elm. The plant occurs in both shrub form and as a tree. This profile treats the elm as a tree.
An elm can live for hundreds of years
General
- German name: elm
- Latin name: Ulmus
- Tree Family: Deciduous
- Types: around 30 pieces
- maximum age: up to 400 years
- deciduous, deciduous
Optical features
growth
- maximum growth height: 30-40 meters
rooting
- taproot
- With age, a heart root forms
leaves
- unbalanced
- jagged
- stalked
- roundish, ovate
- Risk of confusion with the hazel
- young leaves are edible
blossom
- Flowering time: February to April
- Hairy
- Nondescript
fruit
- small nuts
- up to 2.5 cm tall
- only germinable for a short time
- ovate, rounded
- called Samara
wood
- rarely forms cork wing bark
- no thorns or spikes
- yellowish to reddish
- porous
Happen
distribution
- only in the northern hemisphere
- two-thirds of all species are native to Asia
- only three species are represented in Europe: field elm, white elm, wych elm
Preferred location
- in forests
- in moderate heat zones
use
- the stable wood is processed into furniture
- Fruits are edible
- some parts of the plant are used in traditional Chinese medicine
diseases and pests
- Dutch elm disease
- Elm bark beetle
- due to the frequent fungal infection, old elms are very rare