Ulmus × Hollandica 'Major'
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''Ulmus'' × ''hollandica'' 'Major' is a distinctive
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 ...
that in England came to be known specifically as ''the'' Dutch Elm, although all naturally occurring Field Elm ''
Ulmus minor ''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 norther ...
'' × Wych Elm '' U. glabra'' hybrids are loosely termed 'Dutch elm' ( ''U.'' × ''hollandica''). It is also known by the cultivar name 'Hollandica'. Nellie Bancroft considered 'Major' either an F2 hybrid or a
backcrossing Backcrossing is a crossing of a hybrid with one of its parents or an individual genetically similar to its parent, to achieve offspring with a genetic identity closer to that of the parent. It is used in horticulture, animal breeding, and produc ...
with one of its parents.Bancroft, H. 1934. Notes on the status and nomenclature of the British elms. V. – Elms generally accepted as hybrids, the Dutch Elm. ''The Gardeners’ Chronicle'', 96: 298-299. According to Richens the tree was a native of
Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...
and elsewhere in northern France, where it was known from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries as ''ypereau'' or ''ypreau''.Richens, R. H., (1983). ''Elm'' p. 53–54 also 33, 42.Cambridge University Press, 1983), 'Major' was said to have been introduced to England from the Netherlands in the late seventeenth century as a fashion-elm associated with
William and Mary William and Mary often refers to: * The joint reign of William III of England (II of Scotland) and Mary II of England (and Scotland) * William and Mary style, a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 named for the couple William and Mary may al ...
, Rackham, Oliver (1976). ''Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape'' J. M. Dent, London. the name 'Dutch Elm' having been coined by Queen Mary's resident botanist Dr
Leonard Plukenet Leonard Plukenet (1641–1706) was an English botanist, Royal Professor of Botany and gardener to Queen Mary. Biography Plukenet published ''Phytographia'' (London, 1691–1696) in four parts in which he described and illustrated rare exotic p ...
. The epithet 'Major' was first adopted by Smith in Sowerby's ''English Botany'' 36: t. 2542, published in 1814, identifying the tree as ''Ulmus major''. Krüssmann formally recognized the tree as the cultivar ''U.'' × ''hollandica'' 'Major' in 1962. Richens (1983) states that Elwes and
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 ...
in their account of Dutch Elm (1913) "confused Dutch Elm with English". He gives no evidence but can only have been referring to Henry's statement that "in many districts Major'is the commonest tree in hedgerows". Richens was writing seventy years after Henry, after two Dutch elm disease epidemics, two world wars, and decades of urbanisation and road-widening. Henry's statement was not necessarily a case of misidentification – or an exaggeration. Elwes and Henry's account of Dutch Elm remains a pioneering one.


Description

In areas unaffected by Dutch elm disease, 'Major' often attains a height of > 30 m, with a short bole and irregular, wide-spreading branches. In open-grown specimens, the canopy is less dense than that of the
English elm The field elm (''Ulmus minor'') cultivar 'Atinia' , commonly known as the English elm, formerly common elm and horse may, Republished 1978 by EP Publishing, Wakefield. and more lately the Atinian elm, was, before the spread of Dutch elm dis ...
or Wych elm. The bark of the trunk is dark and deeply fissured and, like
English elm The field elm (''Ulmus minor'') cultivar 'Atinia' , commonly known as the English elm, formerly common elm and horse may, Republished 1978 by EP Publishing, Wakefield. and more lately the Atinian elm, was, before the spread of Dutch elm dis ...
, forms irregular 'plates' in mature specimens, serving to distinguish it from the
Huntingdon Elm Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
(latticed bark), the other commonly planted ''U. × hollandica'' in the UK.Mitchell, A. (1974). ''A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain & Northern Europe''. Collins, London. The leaves are
oval An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definition, which may inc ...
, < 12 cm long by 7 cm wide, the top surface dark green and glossy, with a long serrated point at the apex. The red
apetalous Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...
,
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, wind-pollinated flowers are produced in spring in large clusters of up to 50. The
obovate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...
samarae are up to 25 mm long by 18 mm broad. The cultivar may be distinguished from other elms by the corky ridges which on mature trees occur only on the epicormic branches of the trunk. The bark of branches and twigs is otherwise smooth. On immature trees and suckers, the corky bark is more pronounced. Elwes and Henry state that the seed is rarely viable, Bancroft that it is always sterile. The tree suckers profusely from roots.Bean, W. J. (1981). ''Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain'', 7th edition. Murray, London. In southern Britain, 'Major' is commonly found as a sucker, sometimes in mixed hedgerows with
English Elm The field elm (''Ulmus minor'') cultivar 'Atinia' , commonly known as the English elm, formerly common elm and horse may, Republished 1978 by EP Publishing, Wakefield. and more lately the Atinian elm, was, before the spread of Dutch elm dis ...
; large Dutch Elm sucker-populations have been found in south west Wales,
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, and along the Channel coast. The suckers of Dutch Elm are sometimes confused with those of English Elm, which may explain the widespread and random occurrence of the former in hedgerows in southern Britain. 'Major' comes into leaf some three weeks later than English elm, and loses its leaves some three weeks earlier, and when young, its branching is straighter, stouter and more open. It is usually more vigorous than English elm. The larger, tapering leaves, predominantly corky bark, and bold herringbone outline of Dutch Elm suckers also help to distinguish them from those of English elm. File:RN Ulmus hollandica Major, corky wings.JPG, Corky wings on epicormic branchlets File:Ulmus x hollandica 'Major' bark and corky bole-shoots. Royal Circus, Edinburgh.jpg, 'Major' bark and corky bole-shoots File:RN Ulmus hollandica Major leaves.JPG, 'Major' leaves showing tapering apices File:Leaves of Ulmus x hollandica 'Major'.jpg, Pressed 'Major' leaves, August File:Ulmus x hollandica 'Major' samarae.jpg, 'Major' samarae File:MC - Ulmus x hollandica 'Major'. East Baldwin Valley, Isle of Man.jpg, 'Major' forming hedgerows,
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...


Pests and diseases

''Ulmus × hollandica'' 'Major' is very susceptible to Dutch elm disease.


Cultivation

The ‘Dutch’ elm quickly became popular in eighteenth-century estate plantations in England, survivors today being naturalised relics of this planting fashion; but the tree was always rare in the Netherlands, where from the eighteenth century ''hollandse iep'' (Holland elm) meant the widely planted hybrid ''Ulmus × hollandica'' Belgica (Belgian Elm). Ley (1910) noted that 'Major' could be found scattered throughout the lowlands of England and Wales, often in the company of English Elm; but, unlike the latter, extended into mountain valleys in South Wales up to 1000 feet. ‘Dutch’ elm was also planted in urban parks, for example in the elm-groves of Kensington Palace Gardens, and, on account of its suckering habit and quick growth, was frequently planted as the elm component in mixed coastal shelter-belts on the south coast, in Cornwall, South Wales, the Isle of Man, and East Anglia. The tree was propagated and marketed in the UK by the Hillier & Sons nursery,
Winchester, Hampshire Winchester (, ) is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is south-west of ...
from 1949, with 101 sold in the period 1962 to 1977, when production ceased with the advent of the more virulent form of Dutch elm disease.Hillier & Sons (1977). ''Catalogue of Trees & Shrubs''. Hillier, Ampfield, UK.Hillier & Sons ''Sales inventory 1962 to 1977'' (unpublished). 'Major' was introduced to Ireland, where the largest specimens were at Marlfield, County Tipperary, renowned for its elms. It was also the predominant elm in
Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...
, Dublin. 'Major' is known to have been marketed (as ''U. montana gigantea'') in Poland in the 19th century by the Ulrich nursery,Ulrich, C. (1894), ''Katalog Drzew i Krezewow, C. Ulrich'', Rok 1893-94, Warszawa
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, and may still survive in Eastern Europe. ''Ulmus suberosa major'', 'The Dutch cork-barked elm', was in US nurseries by the mid-19th century.
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 ...
reported in 1915 that in the USA (as in the UK by the 20th century), 'Major' was sometimes confused with English Elm. 'Major' is grown at several arboreta and along the streets of
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
. The cultivar is also grown in parks and avenues in Australia, notably in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, and in New Zealand. File:Kensington Gardens, the fountains, London, England-LCCN2002696940.tif, Dutch Elms, Kensington Gardens, London, c.1890 File:Phoenix Park, Dublin. County Dublin, Ireland-LCCN2002717400.jpg, Dutch Elms,
Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...
, Dublin, c.1890 File:RN Ulmus hollandica 'Major' (Brighton).JPG, 'Major', Withdean Court Road, Brighton; denser form the result of pruning File:Ulmus x hollandica 'Major'. Royal Circus, New Town, Edinburgh (1).jpg, 'Major', fan-headed after pollarding, Royal Circus, Edinburgh File:MC - Ulmus x hollandica 'Major'. Ballachrink, Isle of Man.jpg, 'Major', Isle of Man, May 2007 File:MC - Ulmus x hollandica 'Major'. West Nappin, Isle of Man.jpg, 'Major' as a windbreak elm, Isle of Man


Notable trees

Owing to Dutch elm disease, mature trees are rare in the UK, except in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
and
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 ...
,
East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
; The Level, in Brighton, alone has over 80 specimens in a double avenue. Other examples, including the TROBI Champion (27 m high by 139 cm d.b.h. in 2009, after pollarding) can be seen in the city along the London Road. The specimen at
Leeds Castle Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England, southeast of Maidstone. It is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds and is a historic Grade I listed estate. A castle has existed on the site s ...
was, at 38 m, the tallest elm surviving in Britain until it blew down in 2000.Johnson, O. (2011). ''Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland'', p. 169. Kew Publishing, Kew, London. . There are also good examples 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 ...
along Fettes Row, and one at the intersection of Royal Circus and Circus Place (bole-girth 2.5 m), while a single mature 'Major' survives at the extreme east end of East Princes Street Gardens (2025). A 2011 study by Dr Max Coleman of 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 ...
, has confirmed that many thousands of mature 'Major' survive in the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
. Many old trees survive (2018) in New Zealand, notably in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, the finest considered to be the specimen found outside the
Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand, for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit in the suburb of Ellerslie, New Zealand, Ellerslie, with a circumference of just under 1,900 metres. Racing ...
. File:Ulmus hollandica.jpg, 'Major', Botanical Gardens, Christchurch, NZ (2004) File:Princes Street (5171821347).jpg, Old 'Major', tallest tree near Scott Monument, Edinburgh, showing autumn colour (2010)


Synonymy

*''Ulmus × hollandica'' 'Hollandica': Richens *''Ulmus montana (: glabra)'' var. ''gigantea'' Hort.: Kirchnerbr>
in Carl Edward Adolph Petzold, Petzoldbr>
& Kirchner
''Arboretum Muscaviense'' 564, 1864
*?''Ulmus montana (: glabra)'' var. ''macrophylla fastigiata'' Hort.: George Nicholson (botanist), Nicholson, ''Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs'', 2: 141, 1896 *?''Ulmus × hollandica'' Ypreau: Richens


In art

The open, irregular branching of 'Major' appears in
Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
's ''Salisbury Cathedral from the bishop's grounds'' (1823), and in G. N. Wright's ''Wellington Monument, Phoenix Park'' (c.1830) (see 'Cultivation'). The elm grove in Kensington Gardens, London, said by Elwes to have been 'Major', was illustrated by numerous artists, but most effectively, in Richens' view, by Seymour Haden in his etching ''Kensington Gardens'' (1860).Seymour Haden, etching, ''Kensington Gardens'' (1860), artsy.net
/ref> The more regular canopy sometimes found in 'Major' appears in a botanical drawing in Loudon's ''Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum'' (1854). File:John Constable 017.jpg, Dutch Elm, ''Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's grounds'' (1823) File:Wellington Testimonial, 1830 v3.jpg, Dutch Elm by the Wellington Monument, Phoenix Park, Dublin, by G. N. Wright (c.1830) File:Kensington Gardens (The Larger Plate), Francis Seymour Haden.jpg, Dutch Elm grove, ''Kensington Gardens'', etching by Seymour Haden (1860) File:Ulmus major. The greater or Dutch cork-barked, Elm. p.237.jpg, 'Ulmus major, the greater or Dutch cork-barked elm', ''Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum'' (1854)


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. 241-98, from cultivated material. *
Longwood Gardens Longwood Gardens is a public garden that consists of more than 1,100 acres (445 hectares; 4.45 km2) of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in the Brandywine Creek Valley in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of the premier ...
, US. Acc. no. L-0600, unrecorded provenance. *
Morton Arboretum The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, United States, is a public garden and outdoor museum with a library, herbarium, and program in tree research including the Center for Tree Science. Its grounds, covering 1,700 acres (6.9 square kilometre ...
, US. Acc. nos. 1114-25, 338-46.


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. Over 1000 specimens, inc. TROBI champion

*
Grange Farm Arboretum The Grange Farm Arboretum is a small private arboretum comprising 3 hectares accommodating over 800 trees, mostly native and ornamental species or cultivars, notably oaks, ashes, walnuts and elms, growing on a calcareous loam.Ostler, J. (2009) ...
, Sutton St James, Spalding,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, UK. Acc. no. 1099. * Royal Botanic Gardens
Wakehurst Place Wakehurst, previously known as Wakehurst Place, is a house and botanic gardens in West Sussex, England, owned by the National Trust but used and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew). It is near Ardingly, West Sussex in the Wea ...
, UK. Acc. no. 1973-20146.


Australasia

* Avenue of Honour,
Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...
, Australia. As 'Hollandica'. * Avenue of Honour, Bacchus Marsh, Australia. *
Christchurch Botanic Gardens The Christchurch Botanic Gardens, located in the Christchurch Central City, central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, were founded in 1863 when an English oak was planted to commemorate the solemnisation of the marriage of Edward VII of the Un ...
, Christchurch, New Zealand. Details not known. *
Eastwoodhill Arboretum Eastwoodhill is the national arboretum of New Zealand. It covers and is located 35 km northwest of Gisborne, New Zealand, Gisborne, in the hill country of Ngatapa. It was founded in 1910 by William Douglas Cook. Cook's life work would becom ...
br>
Gisborne, New Zealand, Gisborne, New Zealand. 10 trees, details not known.


Nurseries


Australasia

*Established Tree Planters Pty. Ltd., Wandin, Victoria, Australia.


References


External links


Jobling & Mitchell, 'Field Recognition of British Elms', Forestry Commission Booklet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulmus x hollandica 'Major' Dutch elm cultivar Ulmus articles with images Ulmus Ulmus Edinburgh Spath 1902