American Elm Ulmus americana

American elm is a rapidly growing perennial, woody, deciduous tree in the elm family (Ulmaceae). It  grows 60 to 80 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 2 to 5 feet. Older trees sometimes develop buttresses that expand their base. The tree is native to eastern North America.

This elm grows well in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils but adapts to both wet and dry sites. It needs full sun or partial shade, a neutral pH and is not fussy about soil texture. It can be kept a shrub size by cutting it to the ground in the fall every two or three years. Its fibrous root system makes it easy to transplant. It is best propagated by seed.

The American elm is a beautiful shade tree with an urn shape. When sited in a dense forest, the tree tends to have a narrow crown and a long, clear bole (the trunk below the crown). When sited in an open area, the tree tends to fork near the ground and develop an arching crown. It is valuable to wildlife as a food source, nesting site and habitat. It is fire and deer-resistant and tolerates urban conditions.

Plant this tree in a woodland, naturalized area, or on a slope. It is at home in a butterfly, drought-tolerant, native, pollinator, rain, shade, or winter garden.

• A deciduous tree with a naturally occurring vase-like habit, ranging from 60 to 80 feet tall and 30 to 60 feet wide.
• The bark is dark gray with flat braided ridges.
• The stems are smooth and brown.
• Green, simple, alternate, doubly serrate, offset base leaves with pubescence on the undersides.
• Soft yellow fall foliage.
• Small greenish-red inconspicuous flowers in the late winter to early spring.
• The fruit is a seed surrounded by a flat oval papery wing appearing in mid-spring.

Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Dutch Elm Disease is a fatal fungal disease spread by airborne bark beetles that attacks the water-conducting tissue of the tree, resulting in wilting, defoliation, and death. There is no known cure, however, resistant cultivars such as 'Princeton' are available and are currently being evaluated. Phloem necrosis is a disease caused by a phytoplasma that attacks the food-conducting tissue of this tree, usually resulting in a loosening of the bark, wilting, defoliation, and death. Wetwood is a bacterial disease that results in wilting and dieback. Various wilts, rots, cankers, and leaf spots may also occur. Insect visitors include borers, leaf miners, beetles, mealy bugs, caterpillars, and scales.

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.