Ulmus minor 'Dicksonii'
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Field Elm ''Ulmus minor'' Mill., the field elm, is by far the most polymorphic of the European species, although its taxonomy remains a matter of contention. Its natural range is predominantly south European, extending to Asia Minor and Iran; its northern ...
cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
''Ulmus minor'' 'Dicksonii', commonly known as Dickson's Golden Elm, is a yellow-leaved tree raised in
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
in 1900 by Dickson's Nursery, which distributed it from the autumn of 1907 as 'Golden Cornish Elm'. 'Cornish Elm' was the name often given in error to Guernsey or Wheatley Elm by the local authorities who planted the latter extensively, an error which may have influenced the choice of name by Dickson's nursery. 'Dicksonii' is usually listed as a variety of Guernsey Elm rather than Cornish Elm,
Bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...
giving 'Wheatleyi Aurea' as a synonym, and Hillier 'Sarniensis Aurea' and later ''U.'' × ''sarniensis'' 'Dicksonii'.''Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs''. Ed. 4, 399, (1977); David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK Clibrans' nursery of
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
, however, described it (1922) as otherwise identical "in habit and constitution" to 'type' Cornish Elm (the nursery marketed
Guernsey Elm Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
as 'Wheatleyii'). 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 distributed it from c.1913 as ''U. campestris cornubiensis Dicksonii''. The nursery ''Messieurs Otin père et fils'' of
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...
sold an ''Ulmus Wheatleyi aurea pyramidalis'', with leaves marbled yellow, in 1882, earlier than Dickson's introduction. Not to be confused with more common cultivars named 'Golden Elm' – 'Wredei', 'Lutescens' and 'Louis van Houtte'.


Description

A slow growing tree, variously described as "of free and upright growth", "resembling Cornish Elm in form", and "conical and of dense habit". The leaves are "a fine yellow colour, said to last till autumn", though specimens in the north appear to colour less well (see gallery). A photograph of 'Dicksonii' was published in the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
's ''Gardeners' Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers'' (1989).Bricknell, Christopher, ed., ''Royal Horticultural Society Gardeners' Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers'' (London, 1989), p.76 File:Trunk of Ulmus minor 'Dicksonii' at Peasholm Park, Scarborough (1).jpg, Trunk of reverted 'Dicksonii', Peasholm Park, Scarborough File:Bark of Ulmus minor 'Dicksonii' at Peasholm Park, Scarborough.jpg, Bark of 'Dicksonii' File:Leaves of Ulmus minor 'Dicksonii' at Peasholm Park, Scarborough.jpg, Leaves of 'Dicksonii' reverted to green File:Ulmus minor 'Dicksonii'. Skibo Castle (cropped).jpg, 'Dicksonii', Skibo Castle,
Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...


Pests and diseases

'Dicksonii' is susceptible to
Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into Americas, America ...
.


Cultivation

In 1969 the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
granted Guernsey Elm, "and its sport 'Dickson's Golden Elm'", an
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...
(AGM), "in recognition of its attractive form and garden worthiness". The horticulturalist
Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...
used 'Dickson's Golden Elm' in his herbaceous borders at
Great Dixter Great Dixter is a house in Northiam, East Sussex, England. It was built in 1910–12 by architect Edwin Lutyens, who combined an existing mid-15th century house on the site with a similar structure brought from Benenden, Kent, together with his o ...
Gardens, Northiam, East Sussex. Though he gave 'Dampieri Aurea' as a synonym, photographs suggest that the cultivar planted was 'Dicksonii'. 82 were planted (as ''Ulmus stricta Wheatleyi aurea'') on the boulevard to Long Eaton district boundary before 1939 to commemorate the coronation of
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
. One example was planted at Pyrford Court, Woking, Surrey before 1985. 'Dicksonii' is now very rare in the UK. File:GreatDixterLongBorder.jpg, The Long Border at Great Dixter, Sussex, with 'Dicksonii' to right (2014) File:Great Dixter - Golden Elm.jpg, 'Dicksonii' in the Long Border, Great Dixter (2014)


Notable trees

Among the few survivors in the UK are a tall, close-grown specimen beside
Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...
(2017), and two in
Peasholm Park Peasholm Park is an oriental themed municipal park located in the seaside town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1912 and became a venue for galas, displays and exhibitions. The park was extended to include Peasholm Glen, a ...
,
Scarborough, North Yorkshire Scarborough () is a seaside town in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Scarborough is located on the North Sea coastline. Historic counties of England, Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town lies between 10 ...
, rediscovered in 1994 during a National Tree Register audit of the trees in Peasholm Glen. Another specimen stands in Bocombe Mill Cottage Garden, near Parkham,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
. File:Ulmus minor 'Dicksonii'. Durham Cathedral.jpg, 'Dicksonii' near Durham Cathedral (2017)


Accessions

None known.


References

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