The
Chinese Elm
''Ulmus parvifolia'', commonly known as the Chinese elm or lacebark elm, is a species native to eastern Asia, including China, India, Japan, Korea, Vietnam,Fu, L., Xin, Y. & Whittemore, A. (2002)Ulmaceae in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) ''Flora of Chi ...
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 parvifolia'' 'King's Choice', patented in 1985, is one of the early American selections best known for its winter hardiness, being able to withstand temperatures of -30 degrees
Celsius
The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius temperature scale "Celsius temperature scale, also called centigrade temperature scale, scale based on 0 ° for the melting point of water and 100 ° for the boiling point ...
.
It was originally selected for its "outstanding growth (22 feet at 7 years)".
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Description
Bushy in shape, the tree grows to 15 m. tall and 12 m. wide. Its leaves turn from dark green to yellow in autumn, but the cultivar lacks the attractive mottled bark for which the species is renowned.
Pests and diseases
The species and its cultivars are highly resistant, but not immune, to Dutch elm disease, and unaffected by the Elm Leaf Beetle ''Xanthogaleruca luteola
''Xanthogaleruca luteola'', commonly known as the elm-leaf beetle, is a beetle species in the family Chrysomelidae that is native to Europe but invasive in other parts of the world.http://cisr.ucr.edu/elm_leaf_beetle.html - Center for Invasive ...
''.
Cultivation
The tree featured in the elm trial
conducted by Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1899, it was the third and final university established in the Arizona Territory.
It is one of the three universities gove ...
at Holbrook, eastern Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
. 'King's Choice' is not known to be in cultivation in Europe or Australasia.
Etymology
The tree was named for Benjamin J. King, who made the original selection at King's Men Tree Farms, Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
, Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
.
Accessions
North America
*Arnold Arboretum
The Arnold Arboretum is a botanical research institution and free public park affiliated with Harvard University and located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, Massachusetts, Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston.
Established in 1872, it is the ...
, US. Acc. no. 287-95
* Holden Arboretum, US. Acc. no. 92-94
References
Chinese elm cultivar
Ulmus articles with images
Ulmus
{{Ulmaceae-stub