Ulmus 'Lobel'

Summary

Ulmus 'Lobel' is a Dutch hybrid cultivar raised at the Dorschkamp Research Institute for Forestry & Landscape Planning, Wageningen, from a crossing of clone '202' ('Exoniensis' × U. wallichiana) with '336' ('Bea Schwarz', selfed). 'Lobel' was cloned in 1962 and released for sale in 1973.

Ulmus 'Lobel'
'Lobel' elms, East Street, Brighton, UK.
GenusUlmus
Hybrid parentage'202' ('Exoniensis' × U. wallichiana) × '336' ('Bea Schwarz' selfed)
Cultivar'Lobel'
OriginWageningen, Netherlands

Description edit

'Lobel' is a fastigiate, small-crowned, tree not unlike the pyramidal Hornbeam Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata'.[1][2] The typically acuminate leaves are < 11 cm long × < 7 cm broad, and notably late to flush, rarely before mid-May.[3][4]

Pests and diseases edit

'Lobel' was rated 4 out of 5 ("good") in the Netherlands for its resistance to Dutch elm disease.[5] However, in trials conducted by the Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante, Italy, 'Lobel' suffered 50% defoliation and 35.5% dieback when inoculated with unnaturally high concentrations of the fungal pathogen, compared with 2.8% and 1.2% resp. for 'Sapporo Autumn Gold'.[6]

Owing to the U. wallichiana in its ancestry, young specimens of 'Lobel' proved particularly susceptible to elm yellows (phloem necrosis) in trials in Italy.[7]

Cultivation edit

Following the development and release of cultivars such as 'Columella' more resistant to Dutch elm disease, planting is no longer recommended wherever the disease is prevalent.[8] Moreover, 'Lobel' was originally propagated by grafting onto U. glabra rootstocks, which has proven an unsatisfactory combination in the Netherlands leading to graft failures in maturity. Graft failure is the commonest cause of elm death in Amsterdam. Sales of 'Lobel' in the Netherlands declined from over 12,000 in 1989 to 1,100 in 2004.[9]

However, 'Lobel' is particularly resistant to sea winds, and was accordingly planted in large numbers in the coastal provinces in The Netherlands and by Portsmouth City Council in the late 1980s, notably to replace the Huntingdon Elms lost in the Great Storm of 1987 along the Ladies' Mile on Southsea Common. There are also large plantings at Ealing and Primrose Hill, London, Brighton & Hove, and Havant. 'Lobel' was included in trials [3] in Canberra, Australia, started in 1988 but has not thrived in that environment.

'Lobel' was introduced to North America in 1991 when Heybroek donated material to the North Central Regional PI Station, Iowa State University, but the tree is not known to have been commercially released there.[10]

Etymology edit

The tree is named for Matthias de L'obel, the Flemish botanist also commemorated by the genus Lobelia.

Accessions edit

North America edit

Europe edit

References edit

  1. ^ Heybroek, Hans M. (1983). Burdekin, D.A. (ed.). "Resistant elms for Europe" (PDF). Forestry Commission Bulletin (Research on Dutch Elm Disease in Europe) (60). London: HMSO: 108–113.
  2. ^ Heybroek, H.M. (1993). "The Dutch Elm Breeding Program". In Sticklen, Mariam B.; Sherald, James L. (eds.). Dutch Elm Disease Research. New York, USA: Springer-Verlag. pp. 16–25. ISBN 978-1-4615-6874-2. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. ^ Santini, A., Fagnani, A., Ferrini, F., Ghelardini, L., & Mittempergher, L. (2005). Variation among Italian and French elm clones in their response to Ophiostoma novo-ulmi inoculation. Forest Pathology, 25 (2005), 183-193, Blackwell Verlag, Berlin
  4. ^ Photographs of 'Lobel' elm, [1] leaves and samarae [2]
  5. ^ Heybroek, H. M., Goudzwaard, L, Kaljee, H. (2009). Iep of olm, karakterboom van de Lage Landen (:Elm, a tree with character of the Low Countries). KNNV, Uitgeverij. ISBN 9789050112819
  6. ^ Santini, A, et al. (2002). 'San Zanobi' and 'Plinio' Elm trees. HortScience 37(7): 1139–1141, 2002.
  7. ^ Mittempergher, L., (2000). Elm Yellows in Europe. In: The Elms, Conservation and Disease Management. 103–119. Dunn C.P., ed. Kluwer Academic Press Publishers, Boston, USA.
  8. ^ Burdekin, D.A.; Rushforth, K.D. (November 1996). "Elms resistant to Dutch elm disease" (PDF). Arboriculture Research Note. 2/96. Revised by J.F. Webber. Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham: Arboricultural Advisory & Information Service: 1–9. ISSN 1362-5128. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  9. ^ Hiemstra, J.A.; et al. (2007). Belang en toekomst van de iep in Nederland [Importance and future of the elm in the Netherlands]. Wageningen, Netherlands: Praktijkonderzoek Plant & Omgeving B.V. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  10. ^ Gibbs, J. N., Brasier, C. M., McNabb Jnr., H.S., and Heybroek, H. M. (1975). Further studies on the pathenogenicity in Ceratocystis ulmi. Europ. Journ. Forest. Path. 5 (3): 161–174.