Ulmus minor subsp. canescens

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Ulmus minor subsp. canescens
Ulmus canescens kz5.jpg
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens in Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus (2017)
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Ulmus
Species:
U. minor
Subspecies:
U. m. subsp. canescens
Trinomial name
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens
(Melville) Browicz & Ziel.
Synonyms
  • Ulmus campestris var. dalmatica Bald.
  • Ulmus canescens Melville

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens 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, from southern Italy,[1] the islands of Sicily,[2] Malta,[3] Crete,[4] Rhodes[5] and Cyprus, to Turkey,[6] and as far south as Israel, where it is now considered rare and endangered in the wild.[7] The tree is typically found amidst the comparatively humid coastal woodlands and scrublands.

Taxonomy[]

The taxonomy of the tree remains a matter of contention; Melville originally treated the tree as a species in its own right, U. canescens,[8] while others, notably Richens, and Browicz & Ziel., sank it as a subspecies of Ulmus minor.[9][10]

Description[]

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 on the underside when mature, imbuing them with a distinctive greyish hue.[11] The young shoots also have a whitish-grey down.[12] The tree flowers in February and March, the round samarae, < 15 mm diameter, deeply notched at the outer end, ripen in April.[13][14]

  • Bark and young leaves, Antal Ben Shaddad, Jerusalem

  • Samarae, Plain of Esdraelon, Israel

  • Samarae, Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus

  • Bark, Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus

  • New leaves of same

Pests and diseases[]

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is highly susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

Cultivation[]

Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is occasionally planted as a street tree in Israel, notably in Jerusalem near the Damascus Gate 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. It is also planted in Jordan, especially Amman.[citation needed] There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.

Accessions[]

North America
  • Morton Arboretum, US. Acc. no. 395-76
Europe

References[]

  1. ^ Richens, R. H., Elm (Cambridge 1983), p.18
  2. ^ Scialabba, A., M. R. Melati, and F. M. Raimondo. "Taxonomic studies on the Sicilian elms: leaf structure of their species and hybrids." Bocconea 5.2 (1997): 493-504.
  3. ^ Plant: Ulmus canescens (Hoary Elm): Wild Plants of Malta & Gozo - Plant: Ulmus canescens (Hoary Elm), accessdate: October 27, 2016
  4. ^ 'Canescens' in Crete, (1) in the Apokoronas region: George Sfikas, Trees and shrubs of Greece (Athens, 2nd ed. 2001) p.140; (2) in the Aghia Irene gorge in the Temenos region: Natural Europe Project, University of Crete, europeana.eu https://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/2023901/content_7af226a0_c461_4c99_8ce8_9de4e41fa3ac.html Small leaved Elm, Ulmus minor subsp. canescens | Avramakis, M.
  5. ^ Flore of Rhodes: Ulmus canescens - Flore of Rhodes, accessdate: October 27, 2016
  6. ^ 'Canescens' in Turkey, "Herbarium specimen - E00405654". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
  7. ^ Flora of Israel Online: Ulmus minor Mill. | Flora of Israel Online, accessdate: October 27, 2016
  8. ^ Melville, R. (1978). On the discrimination of species in hybrid swarms with special reference to Ulmus and the nomenclature of U. minor (Mill.) and U. carpinifolia (Gled.). Taxon 27: 345-351
  9. ^ Richens, R. H., (1983). Elm. Cambridge, p.279
  10. ^ Browicz & Ziel. (1977). Arbor. Kórnickie 22: 320 1977.
  11. ^ Herbarium leaf-specimen, with rule: "Herbarium specimen - E00405654". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
  12. ^ Diagnostic photographs of 'Canescens' in Malta: Hoary elm, maltawildplants.com
  13. ^ Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain. 8th edition. Murray, UK.
  14. ^ Melville, R. (1957). "Ulmus canescens: an eastern Mediterranean elm." Kew Bulletin: 499-502, 1957
  15. ^ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. (2017). List of Living Accessions: Ulmus [1]

External links[]

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