Ulmus canescens
Encyclopedia
Ulmus canescens Melville is a small deciduous
tree occasionally known by the common names Grey Elm, Grey-leafed Elm, and Hoary Elm. Its natural range extends through the lands of the central and eastern Mediterranean, including the islands of Sicily
, Malta
, Crete
and Cyprus
, as far south as Israel
, where it is now considered rare and endangered http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?action=specie&specie=ULMMIN&fileid=12003. The tree is typically found amidst the comparatively humid coastal woodlands and scrublands.
The taxonomy of the tree remains a matter of contention, some authorities treating it as a subspecies
of Ulmus minor.
The tree is comparatively small, < 20 m high; the slender trunk, its bark coarsely fissured, supporting a rounded crown. The leaves are elliptic
to ovate
, bluntly toothed, and densely downy when mature, imbuing them with a distinctive greyish hue. The tree flowers in February and March, the round samara
e, < 15 mm diameter, deeply notched at the outer end, ripen in April .
s of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.
along the Prophets Road and Antal Ben Shaddad street. In Nazareth
, a line of mature trees is found along the road leading to the Basilica
.
Europe
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree occasionally known by the common names Grey Elm, Grey-leafed Elm, and Hoary Elm. Its natural range extends through the lands of the central and eastern Mediterranean, including the islands of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, as far south as Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, where it is now considered rare and endangered http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?action=specie&specie=ULMMIN&fileid=12003. The tree is typically found amidst the comparatively humid coastal woodlands and scrublands.
The taxonomy of the tree remains a matter of contention, some authorities treating it as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Ulmus minor.
Description
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
to ovate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
, bluntly toothed, and densely downy when mature, imbuing them with a distinctive greyish hue. The tree flowers in February and March, the round samara
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...
e, < 15 mm diameter, deeply notched at the outer end, ripen in April .
Cultivation
U. canescens is occasionally planted as a street tree in Israel. There are no known cultivarCultivar
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...
s of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.
Notable trees
Mature trees occur in Jerusalem near the Damascus GateDamascus Gate
Damascus Gate is the main entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located in the wall on the city's northwest side where the highway leads out to Nablus, and from there, in times past, to the capital of Syria, Damascus; as such, its modern English name is Damascus Gate, and its modern Hebrew...
along the Prophets Road and Antal Ben Shaddad street. In Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
, a line of mature trees is found along the road leading to the Basilica
Church of the Annunciation
The Church of the Annunciation , sometimes also referred to as the Basilica of the Annunciation is a church in Nazareth, in modern-day northern Israel.-History:...
.
Accessions
North America- Morton ArboretumMorton ArboretumThe Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. It includes native woodlands and a restored Illinois prairie. The Arboretum has over 4,100 different species of...
. Acc. no. 395-76
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. 826. - 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. 20090690. From seed wild collected in Israel. - 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. Acc. no. 2009.0334. From seed wild collected in Israel.