Ulmus parvifoliaChinese Elm

The Ulmus parvifolia, or Chinese Elm, is among the most forgiving shade trees in cultivation. It takes compacted, alkaline and impoverished urban soil, tolerates heat and drought once established, and carries a rounded crown of fine arching branches clothed in small leathery leaves that colour yellow and russet before falling.

The bark is the second reason to plant it: as the tree matures the outer layer flakes away in irregular plates, leaving a mottled patchwork of grey, green, orange and brown that reads all year and particularly well in winter.

Specifications

• Height10 to 18 metres
• Width8 to 15 metres
• Native toChina, Korea, Japan and Vietnam
• FoliageSmall, leathery, glossy dark green leaves with toothed margins, colouring yellow to russet; deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on climate
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilAdapts to almost any soil, including compacted, alkaline, clay and poor urban ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterModerate; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in warm temperate, subtropical and continental regions, and is both frost hardy and heat tolerant

Additional Features

• FormRounded to vase-shaped crown of fine arching branches, over bark that flakes into a mottled patchwork of grey, green, orange and brown
• UsesIdeal for street and avenue planting, park and plaza shade, car park planting and difficult urban sites
• SpacingPlant 8 to 10 metres apart for streets and avenues
• Low MaintenanceNeeds formative pruning for clearance and little else; it tolerates root disturbance better than most trees
• Pest ResistanceNotably resistant to Dutch elm disease and elm leaf beetle compared with the European elms
• Drought ToleranceHolds condition through dry periods once the root system is established
• Seasonal AppealYellow and russet autumn colour, and mottled bark that carries the tree through winter

The Chinese Elm is the tree to specify where the soil is poor, the site is hard and the scheme still needs a proper canopy.