Ulmus glabra 'Cornuta'

Ulmus glabra 'Cornuta'
SpeciesUlmus glabra
Cultivar'Cornuta'
OriginEurope

The Wych Elm cultivar Ulmus glabra 'Cornuta', in cultivation before 1845[1] – Fontaine (1968) gives its provenance as France, 1835[2] – is a little-known tree, finally identified as a cultivar of U. glabra by Boom[3] in Nederlandse Dendrologie 1: 157, 1959.[4]

The cultivar 'Triserrata', usually considered a synonym of 'Cornuta',[4] was first described by Kirchner[5] in Petzold[6] and Kirchner (1864) as U. triserrata Hort..[7] It was distributed by the Späth nursery, Berlin, in the late 1890s and early 1900s as U. montana triserrata Kirch..[8]

Description

'Cornuta' is distinguished only by the one or two cusp-like lobes either side of the apex of the leaf on strong-growing shoots, similar to Ulmus laciniata. Short-shoot leaves lack the cusps.[9][1] Fontaine (1968) reported that 'Cornuta' had a more reddish-brown autumn colouring than other elms.[2]

U. triserrata Hort. (syn. U. intermedia Hort.) was described in Petzold and Kirchner as "very similar to U. montana, but the leaves appear to be firmer, a little shorter, and widened towards the tip. The tip is very sharp-pointed, likewise the two large teeth, one on each side, in consequence of which the leaf appears tricuspidate. A form similar in appearance but less pronounced occurs in U. montana." Späth catalogues describe the leaf of U. montana triserrata as "usually three-pointed", but herbarium leaf-specimens in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from Späth's specimens show a non-cuspidate leaf with a triserrate (triple-toothed) margin.[10]

Pests and diseases

A cultivar of the Wych Elm, 'Cornuta' is susceptible to Dutch Elm disease.

Cultivation

Fontaine (1968) reported that a form of 'Cornuta' was cultivated along the Reguliersgracht, Amsterdam, "with reasonable success as a street tree".[2] 'Cornuta' is now very rare in cultivation. Although introduced to North America, there is no record of its introduction to Australasia. One tree, possibly 'Cornuta', was planted in 1897 as U. montana laciniata syn. U. montana triserrata at the Dominion Arboretum, Ottawa, Canada.[11] Three specimens supplied by Späth to the RBGE in 1902 as U. montana triserrata may survive in Edinburgh, as it was the practice of the Garden to distribute trees about the city (viz. the Wentworth Elm);[12] the current list of Living Accessions held in the Garden per se does not list the plant.[13] A specimen obtained from Späth as Ulmus triserrata and planted in 1916 stood in the Ryston Hall arboretum, Norfolk,[14] in the early 20th century.[15]

  • Avenue of grafted 'Cornuta', Milletstraat, Amsterdam
    Avenue of grafted 'Cornuta', Milletstraat, Amsterdam
  • A pruned 'Cornuta' in the same avenue, showing graft.
    A pruned 'Cornuta' in the same avenue, showing graft.

Notable trees

A very large tree survives at Meise, in Belgium; measured in 2002, it had attained a height of 35 m, and a d.b.h. of at 1.2 m. Several examples survive along Milletstraat in Amsterdam.[16][17] Three heavily pruned trees, closely planted and now fused together as one stand behind the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands.[18][19]

Accessions

North America
Europe

Synonymy

References

  1. ^ a b c Krüssman, Gerd, Manual of Cultivated Broad-Leaved Trees & Shrubs (1984 vol. 3)
  2. ^ a b c d F. J., Fontaine (1968). "Ulmus". Dendroflora. 5: 37–55. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. ^ kiki.huh.harvard.edu
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ kiki.huh.harvard.edu
  6. ^ kiki.huh.harvard.edu
  7. ^ Petzold; Kirchner (1864). Arboretum Muscaviense. p. 567.
  8. ^ Katalog (PDF). Vol. 108. Berlin, Germany: L. Späth Baumschulenweg. 1902–1903. pp. 132–133.
  9. ^ Bean, W. J. (1981). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition. Murray, London. [1]
  10. ^ "Herbarium specimen - E00824876". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Sheet labelled U. montana triserrata; "Herbarium specimen - E00824877". Herbarium Catalogue. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Sheet labelled U. montana triserrata
  11. ^ Saunders, William; Macoun, William Tyrrell (1899). Catalogue of the trees and shrubs in the arboretum and botanic gardens at the central experimental farm (2 ed.). pp. 74–75.
  12. ^ Accessions book. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 1902. pp. 45, 47.
  13. ^ "List of Living Accessions: Ulmus". Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  14. ^ rystonhall.co.uk/
  15. ^ Ryston Hall Arboretum catalogue. c. 1920. pp. 13–14.
  16. ^ "Ulmus" (PDF). Tuin & Landscape: 35. 2011.
  17. ^ "Milletstraat, Amsterdam". Google Street View.
  18. ^ "Monumentale boom > Duiveltjesiep utrecht". Bomenbieb.
  19. ^ "Tolsteegsingel, Utrecht". Google Street View.
  20. ^ Centrum voor Botanische Verrijking vzw: Voorraadlijst, accessdate: November 2, 2016