Summary
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is a small deciduous tree occasionally known by the common names grey elm, grey-leafed elm, and hoary elm. Its natural range extends through the lands of the central and eastern Mediterranean, from southern Italy,[2] the islands of Sicily,[3] Malta,[4] Crete,[5] Rhodes[6] and Cyprus, and through Thrace[7] to Turkey,[8][9] and as far south as Israel, where it is now considered rare and endangered in the wild.[10] The tree is typically found amidst the comparatively humid coastal woodlands and scrublands.
| Ulmus minor subsp. canescens | |
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| Ulmus minor subsp. canescens in Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus (2017) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Ulmaceae |
| Genus: | Ulmus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | U. m. subsp. canescens
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| Trinomial name | |
| Ulmus minor subsp. canescens (Melville) Browicz & Ziel.
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| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy edit
The taxonomy of the tree remains a matter of contention; Melville originally treated the tree as a species in its own right, U. canescens,[11] while others, notably Richens, and Browicz & Ziel., sank it as a subspecies of Ulmus minor.[12][13]
Description edit
The tree is comparatively small, < 20 m high; the slender trunk, its bark coarsely fissured, supporting a rounded crown. The leaves are elliptic to ovate, bluntly toothed, and densely downy on the underside when mature, imbuing them with a distinctive greyish hue.[9] The young shoots also have a whitish-grey down.[4] The tree flowers in February and March, the round samarae, < 15 mm diameter, deeply notched at the outer end, ripen in April.[14][15]
Pests and diseases edit
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is highly susceptible to Dutch elm disease.
Cultivation edit
Ulmus minor subsp. canescens is occasionally planted as a street tree in Israel, notably in Jerusalem near the Damascus Gate along the Prophets Road and Antal Ben Shaddad street. In Nazareth, a line of mature trees is found along the road leading to the Basilica. It is also planted in Jordan, especially Amman. [citation needed] There are no known cultivars of this taxon, nor is it known to be in commerce.
Accessions edit
- North America
- Morton Arboretum, US. Acc. no. 395-76
- Europe
- Akamas Botanical Garden, Cyprus. Acc. details not known.
- Grange Farm Arboretum, Sutton St James, Spalding, Lincs., UK. Acc. no. 826.
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK. Labelled Ulmus canescens. Acc. no. 20090690. From seed wild collected in Israel. (2017).[16]
- Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey, UK. Acc. no. 2009.0334. From seed wild collected in Israel.
References edit
- ^ "Ulmus dalmatica Baldacci K000852645". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ Richens, R. H., Elm (Cambridge 1983), p.18
- ^ Scialabba, A., M. R. Melati, and F. M. Raimondo. "Taxonomic studies on the Sicilian elms: leaf structure of their species and hybrids." Bocconea 5.2 (1997): 493-504.
- ^ a b Wild Plants of Malta & Gozo - Plant: Ulmus canescens (Hoary Elm), accessdate: October 27, 2016
- ^ 'Canescens' in Crete, (1) in the Apokoronas region: George Sfikas, Trees and shrubs of Greece (Athens, 2nd ed. 2001) p.140; (2) in the Aghia Irene gorge in the Temenos region: Natural Europe Project, University of Crete, Small leaved Elm, Ulmus minor subsp. canescens, Avramakis, M., europeana.eu [1] [2] [3]
- ^ Flore of Rhodes: Ulmus canescens - Flore of Rhodes, accessdate: October 27, 2016
- ^ "Ulmus canescens Melville; specimen from Thrace K000852646". Herbarium catalogue. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Herbarium specimen - L.1582113". Botany catalogues. Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Sheet labelled U. minor Mill. subsp. canescens Melville; specimen from Adana, Turkey, 1959
- ^ a b "Herbarium specimen - E00405654". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Sheet labelled Ulmus canescens Melville; specimen from Phaselis, Turkey, 1974
- ^ Flora of Israel Online: Ulmus minor Mill. | Flora of Israel Online, accessdate: October 27, 2016
- ^ Melville, R. (1978). On the discrimination of species in hybrid swarms with special reference to Ulmus and the nomenclature of U. minor (Mill.) and U. carpinifolia (Gled.). Taxon 27: 345-351
- ^ Richens, R. H., (1983). Elm. Cambridge, p.279
- ^ Browicz & Ziel. (1977). Arbor. Kórnickie 22: 320 1977.
- ^ Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain. 8th edition. Murray, UK.
- ^ Melville, R. (1957). "Ulmus canescens: an eastern Mediterranean elm." Kew Bulletin: 499-502, 1957
- ^ RBGE Living Collection, data.rbge.org.uk List of Living Accessions: Ulmus canescens, 20090690