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Orme d'Amérique

Ulmus americana

Résumé 2

Ulmus americana

Description 3

Family:
Ulmaceae (Elm)

Height:
60 to 125 feet at maturity

Habit:
Single-stemmed tree; Spreading, vase-shaped crown; DBH up to 4’; Fast growing

Leaves:
Leaves (up to 5¾” long and 3½” wide) are dark green, alternately attached, coarsely toothed, and generally ovate in shape, with a pointed tip and an asymmetrical base.

Bark:
Youngest bark is brown, gradually turning gray and splitting into flaky plates with brown patches visible between. Oldest bark is deeply furrowed, creating an interlacing diamond pattern.

Flower:
Floral buds are brown with reddish scales, round with a pointed tip, and slightly hairy. Buds develop into clusters of 5-15 dangling, pom pom-like, greenish-red, petalless flowers (individual flowers up to ⅛” across). Individual flowers have 6-9 white stamens with red or black tips, and a single feathery cream-colored pistil with a divided head.

Fruit:
Light green seeds (up to ½” across), known as samaras, are flat, round, and winged, with a notched tip and a dense fringe of white hairs around the margin and. Seeds become papery in texture and tan or cream-colored (occasionally reddish) with maturity.

Bloom time:
March-May

Fall color:
Golden yellow

Nicknames:
White Elm, Gray Elm, Soft Elm, Water Elm

Habitat:
American Elm grows in full sun to partial shade, typically in moist to well-drained, fertile, loamy soils; however it also tolerates drier conditions and a range of other soil types, as well as flooding during the winter. It is commonly found in floodplains, savannas, deciduous forests, upland areas of swamps, fencerows, roadsides, and along rivers and streams.

Wildlife Benefits:
Seeds and buds are a food source for many species of gamebirds and songbirds, as well as for chipmunks and squirrels. Foliage is a food source for many species of caterpillars and beetles, as well as for deer and rabbits. Flowers are a minor source of pollen for bees. Preferred host plant for several species of aphids and leafhoppers. Provides nesting habitat for many species of birds, including the Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula). Wood frequently used by beavers. Source of sap for the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius).

Notes:
This species is highly susceptible to the invasive Dutch Elm Disease (DED), as well as Elm Phloem Necrosis, often resulting in shortened lifespan if not treated.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/american-elm
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/am_elm.html
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ulmus-americana/

Fun facts 4

American Elm are a good tree to plant everywhere because they enrich the soil when their leaves fall and decompose. Elm leaves are full of potassium and calcium and when they rapidly decompose those nutrients are released back into the soil.
Dutch elm disease is a fungal disease that effects American Elm, it is transferred from tree to tree by bark beetles. Dutch elm disease eventually causes the tree to die.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Nate Hartley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nate Hartley
  2. Adapted by Jean Francois Noulin from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana
  3. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/1425420
  4. (c) Manitoba Forestry, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/873095

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