White elm

Leaves

Form

• Moderately rough, occasionally smooth
• Lower surface slightly hairy
• 15–20 veins per side, not more than 2 or 3 forked

Length

• 10–15 cm

Colour

• Upper surface dark green
• Lower surface paler

Autumn colour

• Yellow

Buds

Form

• Somewhat flattened, blunt
• End bud bent, others pressed against the twig
• 6–9 scales, sometimes slightly hairy

Length

• 5 mm

Colour

• Reddish-brown, margins darker

Margin

• Hairy

Twigs

Form

• Often zigzag, hairless or slightly hairy
• Lenticels inconspicuous

Colour

• Greyish-brown

Flowers

Form

• Each on a separate stalk, in loose, few-flowered, tassel-like clusters (fascicles)

Structure

• Synoecious

Fruits

Form

• Oval, veined, fringed with hairs, otherwise hairless
• Wing deeply notched at the tip
• Seedcase distinct

Length

• 8–10 mm

Bark

Form

• Deeply furrowed with broad, oblique, intersecting ridges, becoming scaly with age

Colour

• Dark greyish-brown, becoming mottled ash-grey with age
• Outer bark shows alternating layers of light orange-brown and dark brown

Size

Height

• To 35 m

Diameter

• To 175 cm

Maximum age

• 200 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Buttressed at the base with prominent root flares
• Divides into a few large, upright limbs and many outwardly fanning branches

Crown

• Graceful, spreading, vase- or umbrella-shaped
• Branch tips often droop

Root system

Shallow, wide-spreading

Habitat

Site

• Wet sites and alluvial flats where water often remains in the spring
• Rich, moist, sandy or gravelly loams with good drainage

Light tolerance

• Moderately shade-tolerant, but grows better in full sunlight