The

Wych Elm ''Ulmus glabra'', the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reac ...

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

''Ulmus glabra'' 'Nigra', commonly known as the Black Irish Elm, was found in the

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

area c.1770 by the father of nurseryman John Robertson of Kilkenny, who later cultivated it.Robertson, J., 'The Black Irish Elm' (letter, 18 Feb. 1837), ''Gardener's Magazine'', vol. 13 (1837), p.237 Robertson stated that he had not seen the form outside Ireland. It was listed by

Loddiges The Loddiges family (not uncommonly mis-spelt ''Loddige'') managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, palms and orchids into European ...

(1830) as ''Ulmus nigra'',Loddiges, Conrad, & Sons, ''Catalogue of Plants'', 15th edn. (1830), p.61 and described by Loudon in ''Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum'' (1838), as ''Ulmus montana nigra''.''Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum'', 3: 1398, 1838
/ref> 'Nigra' is not mentioned in either Elwes and Henry's or Bean'sBean, W. J. (1981). ''Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain'', 7th edition. Murray, England. classic works on British trees. The

Späth nursery The Späth (often spelt ''Spaeth'') family created one of the world's most notable plant nurseries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The nursery had been founded in 1720 by Christoph Späth but removed to the erstwhile district of Baumschulen ...

of Berlin marketed an ''U. montana nigra'' in the late 19th century. Späth, like many of his contemporaries, used ''U. montana'' both for

wych elm ''Ulmus glabra'', the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reac ...

cultivars and for those of ''U. × hollandica''. Though 'Nigra' is sometimes listed as a synonym of 'Cinerea' (see 'Synonymy'), the leaf-descriptions of the two cultivars appear to distinguish them, the latter having leaves recalling those of

Exeter Elm ''Ulmus'' 'Exoniensis', the Exeter elm, was discovered near Exeter, England, in 1826, and propagated by the Ford & Please nursery in that city.Bean, W. J. (1981). ''Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain'', 7th edition. Murray, LondonRichens, R ...

.'Cineria' leaves, herbariaunited.org, specimen 295176
/ref> Loddiges' 1830 catalogue lists the two separately.

Description

Robertson stated that 'The Black Irish Elm' took its name from its dark chestnut-coloured young shoots, and that it made a slender, erect tree when old. Loudon described the tree as of moderate size, with a spreading habit like wych elm, but comprising rather irregular, contorted branches bearing much smaller, more rugose leaves, of a much deeper green than the species.Hanham, F. (1857)
''A Manual for the Park''
(Royal Victoria Park, Bath). Longman, London. Späth's ''U. montana nigra'', by contrast, was "large-leaved, with dark-green foliage".

Cultivation

Loudon reported that the tree ripened seed in Ireland. Robertson sent specimens to the National Botanic Gardens,

Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home to ...

, and to Edinburgh. It was also grown in the 19th century in the

Horticultural Society A horticultural industry is an organization devoted to the study and culture of cultivated plants. Such organizations may be local, regional, national, or international. Some have a more general focus, whereas others are devoted to a particula ...

's Garden at Chiswick and the Royal Victoria Park, Bath, at the western end of the Royal Avenue. ''U. montana nigra'' was introduced to the

Dominion Arboretum The Dominion Arboretum () is an arboretum part of the Central Experimental Farm of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally begun in 1889, the Arboretum covers about of rolling land between Prince of Wales Drive, ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, probably from Späth, in 1899. The tree is not known to have been introduced to

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

, nor is it known to be in commerce.

Synonymy

*''Ulmus cinerea'': Kirchner

in Petzold

& Kirchner
''Arboretum Muscaviense'' 565, 1864
name in synonymy. *?''Ulmus glabra'' 'Cinerea': RBG ''Electronic Plant Information Centre'' 2007.

Accessions

;Europe *?

Wakehurst Place Wakehurst, previously known as Wakehurst Place, is a house and botanic gardens in West Sussex, England, owned by the National Trust but used and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew). It is near Ardingly, West Sussex in the Wea ...

, UK. Acc. no. 1973.21051, as ''U. glabra'' 'Cinerea'

References

{{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars , state=collapsed Wych elm cultivar Ulmus articles missing images Ulmus