Planera aquatica
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- PLAN-er-uh a-KWA-te-kuh
- Description
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Water elm is a native deciduous tree in the elm family. This tree is slow-growing and has a long lifespan. It grows in sandy or gravelly, moist, seasonally wet soils of floodplains and swampy areas. Water Elm grows as a large shrub or small tree, usually with multiple stems, a short trunk and a low spreading crown.
It is categorized as an OBL or Obligate Wetland Species, meaning it almost always occurs in wetlands under natural conditions.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Planera
- Species:
- aquatica
- Family:
- Ulmaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- SE USA
- Distribution:
- AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Dutch elm disease
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Multi-trunked
- Spreading
- Vase
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Moist
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Wet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Spring
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The 1/2 inch fruit is a stalked leathery drupe with fleshy burr-like projections.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are very small with curling fuzzy stigmas.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Deltoid
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- 1 to 3 inches long, 1/2 to 1 inch wide, dark green above, paler below. Bases usually unequal.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Exfoliating
- Patchy
- Shredding
- Bark Description:
- Scaly, shredding, patchy and grayish-brown, some reddish where bark exfoliates.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Zig Zags
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Redish to gray-brown stems have hairs when young but become smooth with age.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Water Garden
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Wet Soil
