The

Elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

''Ulmus'' 'Myrtifolia Purpurea', the Purple Myrtle-leaved Elm, was first mentioned by Louis de Smet of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

(1877) as ''Ulmus myrtifolia purpurea''. An ''U. campestris myrtifolia purpurea'' Hort. was distributed by

Louis van Houtte Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

in the 1880s,''Cultures de Louis van Houtte: Plantes Vivaces de Pleine Terre''
''Catalogue de Louis van Houtte, 1881-2'', p.303 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 ...

, Berlin, in the 1890s and early 1900s, and by the Hesse Nursery,

Weener Weener () is a town in the district of Leer (district), Leer, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Ems (river), Ems. The towns population is at 15,654, making it the largest town of the region ...

, Germany, till the 1930s. Schneider,''Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde'', 1:220, 1904
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Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, and

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

believed 'Myrtifolia Purpurea' a synonym of ''U. minor'' 'Purpurascens', which was also first listed in 1877. The cultivar ''U.'' 'Myrtifolia' is not related to 'Myrtifolia Purpurea'.

Description

The catalogue of the Späth nursery described ''U. campestris myrtifolia purpurea'' as having very small reddish leaves. File:Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens'. Radinden Manor Road, Hove. Leaves.jpg, Leaves of Radinden Manor Road tree, Hove.

Pests and diseases

Not known.

Cultivation

'Myrtifolia Purpurea' was occasionally cultivated as an ornamental. One tree was planted in 1893, as ''U. campestris myrtifolia purpurea'', at the

Dominion Arboretum The Dominion Arboretum () 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 between Prince of Wales Drive, ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada. Three specimens were supplied by the Späth nursery to the

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies ...

in 1902 as ''U. campestris myrtifolia purpurea'', and may still exist in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

as it was the practice of the Garden to distribute trees about the city (viz. the Wentworth Elm); the current list of Living Accessions held in the Garden ''per se'' does not list the plant. ''U. myrtifolia purpurea'', a small tree with "elegant foliage of beautiful color", appeared in the 1902 catalogue of the Bobbink and Atkins nursery,

Rutherford, New Jersey Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 18,834, an increase of 773 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 18,061, which in turn reflected a de ...

, and in Kelsey's 1904 catalogue, New York.

Notable trees

Three small-leaved purple-flushing elms survive in

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

, one of them the UK champion (see 'Accessions'). Until 2018 one was misidentified as the large-leaved purple elm ''U.'' × ''hollandica'' 'Purpurascens'. Of the two names for small-leaved purple-flushing elm – ''U.'' 'Myrtifolia Purpurea' and ''U. minor'' 'Purpurascens' (likely synonyms) – the former was the commoner in nursery lists.

Accessions

;Europe *

Brighton & Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...

City Council, UK.

NCCPG Plant Heritage, formerly known as the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG), is a registered charity and a botanical conservation organisation in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978 to combine the talents of bot ...

Elm Collection. Cottesmore St. Mary School,

(1 tree, National Champion, 18 m high, 51 cm

d.b.h. Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

in 1993Johnson, O. (2011). ''Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland'', p. 168. Kew Publishing, Kew, London. ); Brighton & Hove Prep School, Radinden Manor Rd, Hove (1 tree); Davigdor Road, Hove (1 tree).

Synonymy

*''U. minor'' 'Purpurascens': Schneider, Henry, Green.

References

{{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars , state=collapsed Elm cultivars Ulmus articles with images Ulmus Ulmus Edinburgh Spath 1902