Ulmus 'Morfeo'
Encyclopedia
Ulmus 'Morfeo' is a hybrid elm
cultivar
raised by the Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante
(IPP), Florence
, in 2000. Originally identified as 'FL 509', 'Morfeo' arose from a crossing of the Chenmou Elm (male parent), a small tree from the provinces of Anhui
and Jiangsu
in eastern China
, and the Dutch hybrid clone '405'. The '405' clone is a full sister of 'Groeneveld', a crossing of an English U. × hollandica
and a French U. minor from the Barbier Nursery, Orleans
.
'Morfeo' was patented and released to commerce in 2011.
leaves, < 120 mm (avg. 88 mm) long × < 80 mm (avg. 56 mm) broad with 10 mm petioles. The leaves closely resemble those of the Field Elm, with typically asymmetric base and acuminate apex; they turn crimson
in late October, before falling in early November. In the UK the tree begins flowering in its fourth year, the perfect, apetalous wind-pollinated flowers appearing in mid March. The sessile
samarae
ripen in mid May, and are narrowly obovate, 17 – 22 mm long × 9 – 13 mm broad with the seed offset next to the notched apex.
The tree readily suckers from the roots.
; the fourth most resistant clone in the Italian trials, exhibiting only 0.16 % dieback after inoculation with the fungal pathogen.
as potential host plants for the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly Satyrium w-album by Butterfly Conservation
. The tree has so far proven very fast growing, the fastest of 13 cultivars on trial on a shallow sandy, gravelly loam over Reading Beds, increasing in height by 1.5 m per annum. 'Morfeo' is also tolerant of heavy winter-wet soils, capable of withstanding over three months' inundation to a depth of 30 cm.
The cultivar has been introduced to North America, with the arrival of two small specimens at the National Arboretum
, Washington, D.C.
in November, 2010; it is not known to have been introduced to Australasia
.
), the Roman
god of dreams to whom the elm was sacred. Morpheus was the eldest of the Oneiroi
, sons of Nyx
, goddess of the night. There was an elm in Morpheus' domain, upon which hung the dreams fashioned by the Oneiroi
.
From the Aeneid
by Virgil
, translated by Dryden
:
Full in the midst of this infernal road,
An elm displays her dusky arms abroad:
The God of Sleep there hides his heavy head,
And empty dreams on ev'ry leaf are spread.
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
raised by the Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante
Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante
The Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante , or 'Institute of Plant Protection', is part of the Food Department of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , an Italian government organization with the aim of supporting scientific and technological research...
(IPP), Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, in 2000. Originally identified as 'FL 509', 'Morfeo' arose from a crossing of the Chenmou Elm (male parent), a small tree from the provinces of Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
and Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
in eastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and the Dutch hybrid clone '405'. The '405' clone is a full sister of 'Groeneveld', a crossing of an English U. × hollandica
Ulmus × hollandica
Ulmus × hollandica Mill. , often known simply as Dutch Elm, is a natural hybrid between Wych Elm Ulmus glabra and Field Elm Ulmus minor which commonly occurs across Europe wherever the ranges of the two parent species overlap. In England, according to the field-studies of R. H...
and a French U. minor from the Barbier Nursery, Orleans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
.
'Morfeo' was patented and released to commerce in 2011.
Description
'Morfeo' is a robust, fast-growing tree able to freestand at a very early age. The stem commences forking at between 1.5 m and 2 m from the ground, the branches on juvenile trees with irregular patches of corky bark. The reddish branchlets bear mid - green ellipticLeaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
leaves, < 120 mm (avg. 88 mm) long × < 80 mm (avg. 56 mm) broad with 10 mm petioles. The leaves closely resemble those of the Field Elm, with typically asymmetric base and acuminate apex; they turn crimson
Crimson
Crimson is a strong, bright, deep red color. It is originally the color of the dye produced from a scale insect, Kermes vermilio, but the name is now also used as a generic term for those slightly bluish-red colors that are between red and rose; besides crimson itself, these colors include...
in late October, before falling in early November. In the UK the tree begins flowering in its fourth year, the perfect, apetalous wind-pollinated flowers appearing in mid March. The sessile
Sessility (botany)
In botany, sessility is a characteristic of plants whose flowers or leaves are borne directly from the stem or peduncle, and thus lack a petiole or pedicel...
samarae
Samara (fruit)
A samara is a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent . It is a winged achene...
ripen in mid May, and are narrowly obovate, 17 – 22 mm long × 9 – 13 mm broad with the seed offset next to the notched apex.
The tree readily suckers from the roots.
Pests and diseases
'Morfeo' has a very high resistance to Dutch Elm DiseaseDutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
; the fourth most resistant clone in the Italian trials, exhibiting only 0.16 % dieback after inoculation with the fungal pathogen.
Cultivation
'Morfeo' will not be commercially available until autumn 2012. Approximately 120 trees have been planted in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as potential host plants for the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly Satyrium w-album by Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation is an insect conservation organisation in the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest insect conservation organisations in the world.-History of the Organisation:...
. The tree has so far proven very fast growing, the fastest of 13 cultivars on trial on a shallow sandy, gravelly loam over Reading Beds, increasing in height by 1.5 m per annum. 'Morfeo' is also tolerant of heavy winter-wet soils, capable of withstanding over three months' inundation to a depth of 30 cm.
The cultivar has been introduced to North America, with the arrival of two small specimens at the National Arboretum
United States National Arboretum
The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service as a division of the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in November, 2010; it is not known to have been introduced to Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
.
Etymology
The cultivar is named for Morfeo (English: MorpheusMorpheus
Morpheus may refer to:Characters*Morpheus , the principal god of dreams in the Greek mythology*Morpheus , a moniker for Dream, a fictional character in the comic book The Sandman...
), the Roman
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
god of dreams to whom the elm was sacred. Morpheus was the eldest of the Oneiroi
Oneiroi
In Greek mythology, the Oneiroi were, according to Hesiod, sons of Nyx , and were brothers of Hypnos , Thanatos , Geras and other beings, all produced via parthenogenesis...
, sons of Nyx
Nyx
In Greek mythology, Nyx was the primordial goddess of the night. A shadowy figure, Nyx stood at or near the beginning of creation, and was the mother of personified gods such as Hypnos and Thánatos...
, goddess of the night. There was an elm in Morpheus' domain, upon which hung the dreams fashioned by the Oneiroi
Oneiroi
In Greek mythology, the Oneiroi were, according to Hesiod, sons of Nyx , and were brothers of Hypnos , Thanatos , Geras and other beings, all produced via parthenogenesis...
.
From the Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
by Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
, translated by Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
:
Full in the midst of this infernal road,
An elm displays her dusky arms abroad:
The God of Sleep there hides his heavy head,
And empty dreams on ev'ry leaf are spread.
Accessions
Europe- Grange Farm ArboretumGrange Farm ArboretumThe Grange Farm Arboretum is a small private arboretum comprising 3 hectares accommodating over 800 trees, mostly native and ornamental species or cultivars, notably oaks, ashes, walnuts and elms, growing on a calcareous loam....
http://www.thegardeningwebsite.co.uk/grange-farm-plants-speciality-rare-trees-shrubs-i411.html, Sutton St JamesSutton St JamesSutton St James is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England, about south west of Long Sutton.Lying in the Lincolnshire Fens, Sutton St James did not exist at the time of Domesday Book of 1086...
, SpaldingSpalding, LincolnshireSpalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
, Lincs.LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, UK. Acc. no. 822. - Great Fontley Farm, FarehamFarehamThe market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
, UK, Butterfly ConservationButterfly ConservationButterfly Conservation is an insect conservation organisation in the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest insect conservation organisations in the world.-History of the Organisation:...
Elm Trials plantation, Home Field. - Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghThe Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Originally founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies four sites across Scotland — Edinburgh,...
, UK. Acc. no. 20110002 - Sir Harold Hillier GardensSir Harold Hillier GardensThe Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is an arboretum comprising 72 hectares accommodating over 42,000 trees and shrubs in about 12,000 taxa, notably a collection of oaks, camellia, magnolia and rhododendron....
, UK. One specimen in Plant Centre Field. Acc. no. 2007.0258.
North America
- National ArboretumUnited States National ArboretumThe United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service as a division of the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. 2 juvenile trees.
Nurseries
Europe- Frank P. Matthews http://www.frankpmatthews.com/, 'Trees for Life', Berrington Court, Tenbury WellsTenbury WellsTenbury Wells is a market town and civil parish in the north-western extremity of the Malvern Hills District administrative area of Worcestershire, England. The 2001 census reported a population of 3,316.-Geography:...
, Worcs.WorcestershireWorcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, UK. Trees available from 2012.