Ulmus americana 'Littleford'

Summary

The American Elm cultivar Ulmus americana 'Littleford' was cloned from a tree in Hinsdale, Illinois, circa 1915 by Littleford Nurseries of Downers Grove, Illinois, and first released in 1927.[1] It was marketed in the 1930s by nearby Hinsdale Nurseries, successor to Littleford Nurseries, as 'Littlefordii'.[2] In their 1925 catalogue Littleford Nurseries had written of their selection: "The growing of the American elm is a specialty with us; we consider it the leading shade and ornamental tree. Our trees are a selected strain of the V-shaped type, a stock of 15 to 20 thousand, all 2 ins. and up in size, transplanted twice and in splendid vigor for planting".[3]

Ulmus americana 'Littleford'
SpeciesUlmus americana
Cultivar'Littleford'
OriginIllinois, US

Description edit

The tree is narrowly vase-shaped, without pendulous branchlets, and with larger and heavier leaves.[4]

Pests and diseases edit

The clone's resistance to Dutch Elm Disease is not known, but the species as a whole is highly susceptible to the disease and Elm Yellows; it is also moderately preferred for feeding and reproduction by the adult Elm Leaf Beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola,[5] and highly preferred for feeding by the Japanese Beetle Popillia japonica [6][7] in the United States. U. americana is also the most susceptible of all the elms to verticillium wilt.[8][9]

Cultivation edit

'Littleford' was also marketed from the 1930s by the Siebenthaler Company of Dayton, Ohio,[10] and from the 1940s by Charles Fiore Nurseries of Prairie View, Illinois.[11] The Sherman Nursery, Charles City, Iowa, stocked it as late as 1957, but it is no longer listed by that emporium or any other.[1] The tree is not known to have been introduced to Europe or Australasia.

Synonymy edit

  • Ulmus americana var. Littlefordii: Bailey & Bailey, Hortus Second, 746, 747, 1941.

Accessions edit

North America

References edit

  1. ^ a b Green, Peter Shaw (1964). "Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus". Arnoldia. 24 (6–8). Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University: 41–80. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  2. ^ Hinsdale Nurseries, 1937 Cat., p.15
  3. ^ Littleford Nurseries, Downers Grove, Illinois; 1925 Cat., p.5
  4. ^ "Herbarium specimen - L.1590862". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Ulmus americana var. 'Littlefordii' (Arnold Arboretum specimen 1960; from Siebenthaler nursery)
  5. ^ Miller, Fredric; Ware, George (2001-02-01). "Resistance of Temperate Chinese Elms (Ulmus spp.) to Feeding by the Adult Elm Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)". Journal of Economic Entomology. 94 (1). Oxford University Press (OUP): 162–166. doi:10.1603/0022-0493-94.1.162. ISSN 0022-0493. PMID 11233108.
  6. ^ Miller, Fredric; Ware, George; Jackson, Jennifer (2001-04-01). "Preference of Temperate Chinese Elms ( Ulmus spp.) for the Adult Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)". Journal of Economic Entomology. 94 (2). Oxford University Press (OUP): 445–448. doi:10.1603/0022-0493-94.2.445. ISSN 0022-0493. PMID 11332837.
  7. ^ "Elm Leaf Beetle Survey". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  8. ^ Pegg, G. F. & Brady, B. L. (2002). Verticillium Wilts. CABI Publishing. ISBN 0-85199-529-2
  9. ^ "Elm Leaf Beetle Survey". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  10. ^ Siebenthaler nursery, Dayton, Ohio, 1935 Cat., p.49
  11. ^ Charles Fiore Nurseries, Prairie View, Illinois; 1948 Cat., p.9