''Ulmus laevis'' var. ''parvifolia'' is a mutant variety of

European white elm ''Ulmus laevis'' Pall., variously known as the European white elm, fluttering elm, spreading elm, stately elm and, in the United States, the Russian elm, is a large deciduous tree native to Europe, from France northeast to southern Finland, east b ...

found exclusively on the island of Ada Ciganlija, in the Sava at

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Serbia.Jovanović, B. & Radulović, S. (1980). O jednom novom varyetetu veza. (About a new variety of the European white elm (Ulmus laevis Pall. var. Parvifolia var. n.) Abstract in English.) ''Glasn. Prir. Muz. Beogradu'', B. no. 35. 29-38 (1980).

Museum of Natural History (Belgrade) Natural History Museum ( sr, Природњачки музеј / Prirodnjački muzej) is a museum located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is one of the oldest specialized national institutions in Serbia. In fact, it is the only museum of this type in Ser ...

, Serbia.

Description

The tree is small and has a dense crown. The leaves are much smaller than those of the species, 21 – 59 mm (average 40 mm) in length by 14 – 36 mm (average 26 mm) width, and

chartreuse Chartreuse () may refer to: Food and drink * Chartreuse (liqueur), a French liqueur * Chartreuse (dish), a French dish of vegetables or meat tightly wrapped in vegetable leaves and cooked in a mould Religion * Carthusians, a Catholic religi ...

in colour. The specimen of var. ''parvifolia'' on Ada Ciganlija is very slow-growing, attaining a height of only 5.5 m in almost 60 years, with a

d.b.h. Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

of just 13 cm.

Pests and diseases

Not known, but the species has a field resistance to Dutch elm disease, through the presence of a triterpene,

Alnulin Taraxasterol (anthesterin) is a triterpene derived from the mevalonate pathway and is found in dandelions. Biosynthesis The precursor for the biosynthesis of taraxasterol is squalene. In the first step of this formation squalene is cyclized wi ...

, in the bark which acts as an antifeedant to the vector '' Scolytus'' beetles.

Cultivation

The tree is not known to have ever flowered, thus propagation is by cuttings only. The variety is not known to be in commerce in Serbia or elsewhere.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7879504 Elm species and varieties Trees of Europe Flora of Serbia Ulmus articles missing images laevis var. parvifolia