The elm cultivar ''Ulmus'' 'Myrtifolia', the Myrtle-leaved Elm, first appeared in nursery and horticultural lists from the 1830s, as ''Ulmus myrtifolia'' and ''Ulmus campestris myrtifolia'',Loudon, J. C., ''Hortus lignosus londinensis: or, A catalogue of plants ... cultivated in the gardens and grounds in the neighbourhood of London: with all their synonyms, including their French, German, and Italian names; ... To which are added ... hardy trees and shrubs in the principal nurseries of London and Edinburgh, and at Bollwyller in France, and in Hamburg'' (London, 1838), p.145
/ref> the name ''Ulmus myrtifolia'' Volxem being used at Kew Gardens from 1880. Lawson's nursery of Edinburgh appears to have been the earliest to list the tree. 'Myrtifolia' was listed by Nicholson in ''Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs'' (1896), but without description. It was later listed as a cultivar and described by

Rehder Rehder is a German surname. Notable people with this surname include the following: * Alfred Rehder (1863–1949), German-American botanist and Harvard professor * Elke Rehder (born 1953), German artist * Harald Alfred Rehder (1907–1996), Ameri ...

in 1939 and by Krüssmann in 1962. The specimen under this name in the Herb. Nicholson at Kew was considered by Melville to be a probable ''U. minor'' × ''Ulmus minor'' 'Plotii' hybrid. The cultivar 'Myrtifolia Purpurea', which has larger leaves, is not related to 'Myrtifolia'.

Description

'Myrtifolia' was described as having leaves ovate or rhombic-ovate to oblong-ovate, 2–5 cm long with nearly simple teeth, loosely pilose on both sides. The petiole is 2 to 4 mm long, the samarae 12 to 15 mm long.

Cultivation

A 'Mytifolia' was present in North Road,

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in 1902. There were specimens at

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in the mid-20th century, sourced in the 1920s from a tree in Cleveland, Ohio. The tree is not known to remain in cultivation.

Putative specimen

A small, slow-growing, dense-crowned old elm (15 m, girth 2 m), with very small narrow myrtle-like leaves, stands near 90 Lower Granton Rd, Edinburgh (2016), in a garden that was once part of the elm-planted grounds of Wardie House (demolished 1955).Around Edinburgh - Lower Granton Road and Wardie from Granton Harbou
Around Edinburgh - Lower Granton Road and Wardie from Granton Harbour
accessdate: August 12, 2016 ''Ulmus campestris myrtifolia'' appeared in the lists of the adjacent Wardie Nursery (Lawson Nursery group) in the late 19th century,The Lawson Company's List, no. IV, ''Forest Trees & Shrubs'', Nov. 1874; Lawson Seed & Nursery Co., Edinburgh & London, p.25
/ref> and ''Ulmus myrtifolia'' in the Lawson's of Edinburgh lists from the 1830s. Its leaves, which flush and fall late,Google Maps
A901 - Google Maps
accessdate: August 12, 2016 are lance-shaped or oval (2–4.5 cm by 1.3–2 cm; petioles 0.5–1 cm). The tree, which has smooth branchlets, has been grafted on to a suberose ''U. minor'' stock. File:Possible Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'.jpg, Lower Granton Road tree, Edinburgh, September File:Possible Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'. Edinburgh (1).jpg, Same, October (front tree;

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behind) File:Leaves and samarae of possible Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'.jpg, Samarae and canopy long-shoot leaves File:AZ0005 Ulmus. Lower Granton Road, Edinburgh.jpg, Pressed short- and long-shoot canopy leaves File:Possible Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'. Edinburgh (3).jpg, Epicormic long shoot File:Possible Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'. Edinburgh (4).jpg, Epicormic foliage File:Possible Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'. Edinburgh (2).jpg, Bark File:Possible Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'. Edinburgh (5).jpg, Graft-mark

Synonymy

*''Ulmus campestris (: minor)'' var. ''myrtifolia'' Hort.: Nicholson, in ''Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs'' 2: 135, 1896. *''Ulmus buxifolia'' Hort.: Nicholson, ''Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs'' 2: 135, 1896, in synonymy. *''Ulmus procera'' var. ''myrtifolia'': Bean (1934)Bean, W. J., ''Kew Hand-list of Trees and Shrubs'', 1934, p.341 *''Ulmus procera'' f. ''myrtifolia'': Rehder (1939)

References

External links

''Ulmus'' Myrtifolia, systematics.mortonarb.org
{{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars , state=collapsed Elm cultivars Ulmus articles missing images Ulmus Granton, Edinburgh