The
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'' 'Hunnybunii' was originally identified as ''U. nitens'' var. ''Hunnybunii''
Moss by
Moss in ''The Cambridge British Flora'' (1914).
'Hunnybunii' was reputed to have been commonly planted in the parklands and hedgerows of
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
,
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...
, and
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popu ...
before the advent of
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 ...
.
[
]
The tree was named for C. E. Moss's collaborator, the botanical artist E. W. Hunnybun.
Description
Moss described 'Hunnybunii' as a taller tree than 'Sowerbyi', with the lower branches spreading at right angles, the upper less tortuous; leaves even more asymmetrical at the base, more acuminate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...
at the apex.[Lynch, R I. (1915). Trees of the Cambridge Botanic Garden, in ''Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society'' (Ed.: Chittenden), Vol. 41, part 1, p. 17, 1915.] Samara and leaf drawings by E. W. Hunnybun appear in ''The Cambridge British Flora'' (1914).
File:Ulmus nitens var. hunnybuni. Smooth-leaved Elm (02).jpg, Flowers and fruit of 'Hunnybunii', by E. W. Hunnybun (1914)
Pests and diseases
Though 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 ...
, 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 ...
s produce suckers and usually survive in this form in their area of origin.
Cultivation
Moss in ''The Cambridge British Flora'' (1914) described 'Hunnybunii' as "often planted, as in the grounds of St. John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...
".[Photo of elm on St John's New Building lawn, ''101 Views of Cambridge'' (Rock Bros. Publishing, London, 1900)] Herbarium specimens from The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
and Wageningen suggest that the tree was cultivated in The Netherlands in the mid-20th century, possibly as part of the elm collection assembled there the 1930s for DED-testing by Christine Buisman
Christine Johanna Buisman (; 22 March 1900 – 27 March 1936) was a Dutch phytopathologist who dedicated her short career to the research of Dutch elm disease and the selection of resistant elm seedlings. In 1927, Buisman provided the final proof ...
, on behalf of the Dutch Elm Committee. No mature specimens are known to survive. Three surviving elms (2021), however, beside Dean Road, Bartlow, near the Cambridgeshire-Essex border, resemble var. 'Hunnybunii' in form. Their leaves appear close to the 1962 Wageningen specimen WAG.1852692 of ''U. carpinifolia'' 'Hunnybunnii'.bioportal.naturalis.nl, specimen WAG.1852692, ''U. carpinifolia'' 'Hunnybunnii'
/ref> Moss regarded the elm as a variety not a clone, allowing for some variability in leaf-shape.
File:St John's College, Cambridge (1910).jpg, Elms
Varieties
* 'Hunnybunii pseudo-Stricta'
References
External links
* Sheet labelled ''U. foliacea'' Gilibert var. ''hunnybunnii''; leaves specimen, Cambridge
* Sheet labelled ''U. foliacea hunnybunnii''; leaves specimen, Cambridge (Den Haag 1931)
* Sheet labelled ''U. nitens Hunnybunnii''; twigs specimen, Cambridge (Den Haag 1931)
* Sheet labelled ''U. nitens'' var. ''Hunnybunnyi''; samarae specimen, Cambridge, 1938
* Sheet labelled ''U. carpinifolia'' 'Hunnybunnii'; Wageningen specimen, 1962
* Sheet labelled ''U. carpinifolia'' 'Hunnybunnii'; Wageningen specimen, 1962
* Sheet labelled ''U. carpinifolia'' 'Hunnybunnii'; Wageningen specimen, 1962
{{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars , state=collapsed
Field elm cultivar
Ulmus articles with images
Ulmus