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 ''Ulmus minor'' 'Viminalis Marginata', a variegated form of ''Ulmus minor'' 'Viminalis', was first listed as ''Ulmus campestris'' var. ''viminalis marginata'' Hort. by

Kirchner Kirchner, a surname of German origin, from the Middle High German word, 'kirchenaere' (English: ' sexton'). Kirchner originated as an occupational surname for a church worker, such as a priest, church assistant or a church property administrator. N ...

in 1864. Both Van Houtte and Späth marketed an ''U. campestris viminalis marginata'' in the late 19th century. Nursery, arboretum, and herbarium specimens, however, confirm that 'Viminalis Marginata' was the name sometimes given to the more generally variegated 'Viminalis' cultivar 'Pulverulenta'.

Description

'Viminalis Marginata' is distinguished by its leaves which have mottled grey and white margins.''Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs''. (1977). David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK. This description appears to indicate a different clone from 'Pulverulenta'.

Pests and diseases

The 'Viminalis' cultivars are very susceptible to Dutch elm disease.

Cultivation

'Viminalis Marginata' appeared in various late 19th- and early 20th-century European nursery lists and collections. The tree was distributed in Victoria, Australia, from the 1880s.Brookes, Margaret, & Barley, Richard, ''Plants listed in nursery catalogues in Victoria, 1855-1889'' (Ornamental Plant Collection Association, South Yarra, Victoria, 1992), p.303–304
/ref> A specimen stands in Adelaide Botanic Garden, Australia (see 'Accessions'). Herbarium specimens show that three trees supplied by 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 to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1902 as ''U. campestris viminalis marginata'' were the clone now called 'Pulverulenta' or 'Variegata' (see under 'Pulverulenta'). The ''Ulmus campestris viminalis marginata'' supplied by Späth and planted in 1897 at the

Dominion Arboretum The Dominion Arboretum (french: Arboretum du Dominion) is an arboretum part of the Central Experimental Farm of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally begun in 1889, the Arboretum covers about of rolling land ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada, and a tree from Späth planted under that name in 1913 in the

Ryston Hall Ryston Hall, Ryston, Norfolk, England is a 17th-century country house built by Sir Roger Pratt for himself. The house was constructed between 1669 and 1672 in the Carolean style. In the late 18th century, John Soane made alterations to the hous ...

arboretum, Norfolk, UK, in the early 20th century, may therefore also have been 'Pulverulenta' or 'Variegata'.

Notable trees

The variegated 'Viminalis' in Batsford Arboretum, Moreton-in-Marsh, the only known old specimen of a variegated 'Viminalis' surviving in the UK, is listed by the arboretum as 'Viminalis Marginata', but its mottled variegation recalls the Latin name of the cultivar Ulmus minor 'Viminalis Pulverulenta', 'Viminalis Pulverulenta' rather than the description (above) of 'Viminalis Marginata'.

Synonymy

*''Ulmus campestris punctata'' Hort. *''Ulmus campestris'' var. ''viminalis marginata'' Hort.: Kirchner, in Petzold & Kirchne
''Arboretum Muscaviense'' 556, 1864
*''Ulmus campestris viminalis superba'' Hort.. *''Ulmus scabra viminalis fol. variegatis''. *''Ulmus suberosa elegantissima'' Hort.. *''Ulmus viminalis argentea'': Hillier, (Winchester, England), Catalogue 2P, p. 100, 1938. *''Ulmus viminalis'' var. ''argentea'': Bean, ''Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs'', ed. 3 275, 1925. *''Ulmus viminalis marginata'': Krussmann, ''Handbuch der Laubgehölze'' 2: 539, 1962.

Accessions

Australasia

* Adelaide Botanic Garden, Australia 'Viminalis Marginata' in Adelaide Botanic Garden, trusttrees.org.au
/ref>

Nurseries

Europe

*Larch Cottage Nurseries, Melkinthorpe, Penrith, Cumbria, UK (labelled 'Viminalis Marginata' but resembling Ulmus minor 'Viminalis Pulverulenta', 'Viminalis Pulverulenta')

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulmus minor 'Viminalis Marginata' Field elm cultivar Ulmus articles missing images Ulmus