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'' 'Virgata' (:'twiggy') was first described, as ''Ulmus campestris virgata'', by
Pepin in ''Revue Horticole'' (1865) from a stand of some thirty trees beside a monastery at
Grand-Puits near
Nangis
Nangis () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Nangis station has rail connections to Provins, Longueville and Paris.
Coat of arms
Azure with six argent roundels.
Demographics
The i ...
,
Seine-et-Marne, said to have been planted by the friars in 1789 and propagated in 1835 by Cochet's nursery at
Grisy-Suisnes.
[
] Pepin noted that in France 'Virgata' was sometimes confused with another, less vigorous elm cultivated as 'Orme pyramidal' (possibly the Baudriller nursery's
'Pyramidata' Hort.).
Not to be confused with ''Ulmus virgata''
Roxburgh (''
Ulmus parvifolia
''Ulmus parvifolia'', commonly known as the Chinese elm or lacebark elm, is a species native to eastern Asia, including China, India, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Fu, L., Xin, Y. & Whittemore, A. (2002)Ulmaceae in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) ''Flora of ...
''
Jacq.) or ''Ulmus virgata''
Wallich. ex. Planch. (''
Ulmus chumlia
''Ulmus chumlia'' is a small deciduous tree endemic to the Himalaya from the Kashmir to central Nepal,Anisko, T. (2006). On the trail of the Himalayan elms. ''Plant exploration for Longwood Gardens''. 19–23. Timber Press. and the provinces ...
''
Melville & Heybroek).
Description
Pepin described the tree as vigorous, with short, slender, erect branches bestowing a fastigiate form. The oval pointed dark green leaves turn pale yellow in autumn and are retained late. Pepin likened the tree to cypress, Lombardy poplar and fastigiate oak.
Pests and diseases
Though susceptible to
Dutch Elm Disease,
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
In addition to the original cultivation by Cochet's of Grisy-Suisnes, Pepin himself, who described and admired the tree, planted lines of it from 1858 and recommended it for avenues. He propagated it by base-grafting.
No specimens are known to survive.
References
{{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars , state=collapsed
Field elm cultivar
Ulmus articles missing images
Ulmus
Missing elm cultivars