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'' 'Sowerbyi', commonly known as the Sowerby Elm, was described (as ''Ulmus nitens'' var. ''sowerbyi'' Moss) by Moss in ''The Cambridge British Flora'' (1914). The tree, once referred to as the 'Norfolk Elm' by Smith, was commonly found in the hedgerows and woods of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

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 ...

in the early 20th century 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 ...

. Melville considered it a hybrid of ' Coritana'. The tree was named for the botanical artist

James Sowerby James Sowerby (21 March 1757 – 25 October 1822) was an English naturalist, illustrator and mineralogist. Contributions to published works, such as ''A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland'' or ''English Botany'', include his detailed and app ...

, who had illustrated it in ''English Botany, or Coloured Figures of British Plants'' (1863, figure T.2248), from a specimen collected in Essex c.1810 and now in the Borrer Herbarium at

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

Description

A smaller tree than 'Hunnybunii', the branches shorter and the upper ones very tortuous; leaves smaller and acute. The obovate to elliptical fruits are also smaller than 'Hunnybunii'.Lynch, R I. (1915). Trees of the Cambridge Botanic Garden, in ''Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society'' (Ed.: Chittenden), Vol. 41, part 1, p.16, 1915. "Type" specimens of leaves and samarae from the Parker Street tree in Cambridge (see 'Notable trees'), obtained on the instructions of Moss, are preserved in the Cambridge University Herbarium.'Notable Cambridge elm: type specimen of distinctive variety'; ''Cambridge Daily News''; Friday 12 February 1954, p.4 File:2248. Ulmus suberosa, var. glabra. Common elm. (Ulmus minor 'Sowerbyii').jpg, 'Sowerbyi', from ''English Botany, or Coloured Figures of British Plants''.

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 'Sowerbyi' as "often planted, as on

Christ's Pieces Christ's Pieces or Christ's Piece is a Victorian park in the east of central Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, with flower beds, ornamental trees and a memorial garden to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

". Herbarium specimens from Wageningen suggest that 'Sowerby' 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.

Notable trees

Moss's "type" tree stood by Christ's Pieces, Cambridge, at the junction of Parker Street and Emmanuel Road (also described as "on the pavement near the junction of Drummer Street and Emmanuel Road") and was (1932) high, with a diameter of towards the base and the branches spread across. In 1954 the tree, which had lad lower horizontal branches removed in the 1940s, had a bole-girth of 16 feet and was estimated to be about 250 years old. In addition to F. G. Preston's c.1914 photograph, a second photograph of the tree, showing its tortuous winter branching, appeared in the ''Cambridge Daily News'' in 1954. Shortly after, the tree was propagated by the University Botanic Garden, and severely pruned owing to decay.

References

External links

* Samarae labelled ''Ulmus nitens'' var. ''sowerbyi''; Christ's Piece corner, Cambridge, 1938 * Formerly labelled ''U. foliacea'' 'Sowerbyi'; Wageningen specimen, 1962 * Formerly labelled ''U. foliacea'' 'Sowerbyi'; Wageningen specimen, 1962 {{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars , state=collapsed Field elm cultivar Ulmus articles with images Ulmus