Southern Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Ulmus crassifolia Nutt.
- Family: Elm (Ulmaceae)
- Flowering: August-October
- Field Marks: This elm is distinguished by its autumnal flowering period and its small, elliptic to ovate leaves that are rough to the touch on the upper surface and soft-hairy on the lower surface.
- Habitat: From dry to moist soil in floodplains, uplands, slopes, and along streams and rivers.
- Habit: Tree to 80 feet tall, often with crooked, interlacing branches; trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown usually round-topped.
- Bark: Furrowed and ridged, often breaking up into scales.
- Twigs: Brown, very hairy when young, later becoming more or less smooth, sometimes winged.
- Leaves: Alternate, simple, elliptic to ovate, rounded or pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the sometimes asymmetrical base, singly or doubly toothed, rough to the touch on the upper surface, soft-hairy on the lower surface, up to 1 3/4 inches long, up to 1 1/2 inches wide; leaf stalks hairy, up to 1/4 inch long.
- Flowers: Small, usually in clusters of 3-5 in the axils of the leaves, blooming in the autumn.
- Sepals: 4-9, united below, hairy near base.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 4-6.
- Pistils: Ovary superior; styles 2.
- Fruits: Samaras ovate to oval, up to 1/2 inch long, with veiny wings, the 2 styles persistent at the tip.
Previous Species -- American Elm (Ulmus americana)
Return to Species List -- Group 5
Next Species -- Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra)
