Ulmus glabra 'Dovaei'

Summary

The putative Wych Elm cultivar Ulmus glabra 'Dovaei', or Doué elm,[1] was raised by the André Leroy nursery at Angers, France, as Ulmus dovaei, before 1868.[2] The Baudriller nursery of Angers marketed it as Ulmus Dowei, "orme de Doué",[1] suggesting a link with the royal nurseries at nearby Doué-la-Fontaine, which stocked elm.[3] Green considered it a form of wych.[2]

Ulmus glabra 'Dovaei'
SpeciesUlmus glabra
Cultivar'Dovaei'
OriginFrance

Description edit

Leroy described the tree as vigorous, well-shaped, large-leaved, and "proper for avenues".[2] The Adams nursery of Springfield, Massachusetts, reported that the leaves were "golden at first, but changing to a deep green".[4] The Gaujard-Rome nursery of Châteauroux, France, described Orme Dovei as dark-green all summer.[5] Kelsey's nursery of New York noted that it held its leaves late.[6][7] The Mount Hope Nursery (also known as Ellwanger and Barry) of Rochester, New York, described 'Dovaei' as "a very erect, rapidly growing sort, with smooth bark and dark green leaves".[8][9]

The Herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum holds a leaf-spray and samara specimen (1936) of an Ulmus glabra 'Dovaei' (spelled 'Davaei') sourced from the Ellwanger & Barry nursery.[10] The leaves shown in this spray have petioles longer than the wych type (which are shorter than 5 mm[11]) while the samarae are intermediate, confirming that the source tree, whether 'Dovaei' or not, was hybrid.

Cultivation edit

'Dovaei' is not known to remain in cultivation. It was distributed by the Späth nursery of Berlin from the late 19th century, first as U. scabra Dovaei Hort. (1890),[12] then as U. montana Dovaei (1892), Späth using U. montana both for wych cultivars and for some Ulmus × hollandica hybrid cultivars.[13] The latter name was preferred at Kew Gardens, where there was a specimen,[14] and by Clibrans' of Altrincham, Cheshire, who described it in their early 20th-century catalogues as "an upright, vigorous-growing variety with large leaves".[15][16]

The tree was planted at the Dominion Arboretum, Ottawa, Canada in 1893 as U. montana Dovaei (syn. U. campestris Dovaei).[17] It was introduced to the US in the 1870s, the Mount Hope Nursery of Rochester, New York, and (later) Kelsey's of New York, listing it as Ulmus 'Dovaei'.[18][19] The Adams nursery of Springfield called it 'Dovei Elm', "a handsome new variety from France" (1895),[4] and Klehms' of Arlington Heights, Illinois, 'Dove's large-leaf elm' (1913).[20][21] It was planted as Ulmus Dovaei in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, in the early 20th century.[22] The Rockmont nursery of Boulder, Colorado called it 'Dovey's Scotch Elm'.[23]

Introduced to Australia as U. montana Dovei, the tree was marketed in the early 20th century by the Gembrook or Nobelius Nursery near Melbourne (it was described as "a first-class novelty" in their 1918 catalogue)[24] and by Searl's Garden Emporium in Sydney. It was planted along the Avenue of Honour in Ballarat in 1918.[25] It is not known whether it survives there (avenue elms are listed only as " Ulmus sp."[26]) or elsewhere in Australia.

Synonymy edit

  • Ulmus Dowei: Baudriller Nursery, Angers, France, Cat. 43, p. 117, 1880.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Baudriller Établissement d'Horticulture (1880). Catalogue général descriptif et raisonné des arbres fruitiers, forestiers & d'ornement cultivés dans l'établissement. Angers. p. 117.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ a b c Green, Peter Shaw (1964). "Registration of cultivar namesin Ulmus". Arnoldia. 24 (6–8). Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University: 41–80. Retrieved 16 February 2017.[1]
  3. ^ 'La pépinière sur le bassin de Doué-la-Fontaine', lamagiedurosier.fr
  4. ^ a b Adams nursery, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1895 cat., p.29
  5. ^ Pépinières Gaujard-Rome et Cie, Châteauroux, 1930, p.88
  6. ^ Kelsey, Frederick W., Choice hardy trees and plants, cat. 28, N.Y., 1892, p.17
  7. ^ Kelsey, Frederick W., Choice Trees, cat. 55, N.Y. 1906, p.20
  8. ^ Ellwanger & Barry, Mount Hope Nurseries, Rochester, 1898 catalogue; p.61
  9. ^ "Herbarium specimen - L.1582141". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet labelled U. montana With. 'Dovaei'; "Herbarium specimen - WAG.1847158". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet originally labelled U. montana With. 'Dovaei'; "Herbarium specimen - E00824766". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Sheet originally labelled U. montana With. 'Dovaei'
  10. ^ Photograph of 'Dovaei' specimen, sweetgum.nybg.org
  11. ^ Coleman, M (ed.). (2009). Wych Elm. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. ISBN 978-1-906129-21-7
  12. ^ L., Catalogue 79 (1890-91; Berlin), p.115
  13. ^ Späth, L., Catalogue 89 (1892-93; Berlin), p.116
  14. ^ Hand-list of trees and shrubs, excluding Coniferae, grown in Arboretum Kew Gardens (London, 1902), p.621
  15. ^ Clibrans, Ltd. (1909). Ornamental Trees Shrubs & Climbers. Season: 1909-10. Altrincham, Cheshire, UK: . p. 29
  16. ^ Clibrans Ltd. (1921). Ornamental Trees Shrubs & Climbers. Vol. Season: 1921-22. Altrincham, Cheshire, UK: Clibrans. p. 15.
  17. ^ Saunders, William; Macoun, William Tyrrell (1899). Catalogueof the trees and shrubs in the arboretum and botanic gardens at the central experimental farm (2 ed.). pp. 74–75. Central Experimental Farm, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  18. ^ 'Descriptive Catalogue of Ornamental Trees & Shrubs', no.2, Mount Hope Nursery, Rochester, 1871; p.6
  19. ^ General catalogue, 1904 : choice hardy trees, shrubs, evergreens, roses, herbaceous plants, fruits, etc. New York: Frederick W. Kelsey. 1904. p. 18.
  20. ^ Klehms' Nurseries, Arlington Heights, Illinois, Price list 1913, p.24
  21. ^ Klehms' Nurseries, Arlington Heights, Illinois, Price list 1923, p.5
  22. ^ Thirty-first Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of San Francisco, San Francisco, 1902, p.78
  23. ^ 1910 catalogue, Rockmont Nursery, Boulder, Colorado, p.7
  24. ^ Gembrook or Nobelius Nursery, Melbourne, 1918 catalogue
  25. ^ ballarat.comArchived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ Ballarat Avenue of Honour map, honouringouranzacs.com.au