Elm? Identification help, please and thank you.

[jandslegate]

I've had this tree for a few years and am not 100% sure what exactly it is. I've used my go to plant ID apps and still get mixed results. One swears it's a European Hornbeam which I doubt. The other common results are either Siberian or Zelkova. I collected it from an (at the time) unoccupied area behind our backyard. There's an old oak that has an enormous ring of brush that used to be maintained but now has gone unchecked for about two years. It's mainly oak saplings and cottonwoods but there's a few more of whatever this guy is in there too. The one I collected was off on it's own about ten yards from the mighty old oak. It had been mowed over more than a few times upon collection and was basically just a stump. I'm pretty sure I located the source tree less than a block away on a city maintained walkway. If this is the source then I feel like that rules out a Zelkova due to cost and also eliminates American Elm simply due to conservation status and availability.

I kept it in a large pot for a year or so to let it get enough size that my dogs wouldn't trample it but now it's been in the ground again to bulk up. The pictures aren't great as it's rainy out today and I couldn't really get down on the ground anymore then I did as I have to go to work. I realize the images aren't great and if needed I can provide better ones later. All of the images were from this morning other than the last which is an old image when it was still in a container.

 

[moke]

I'm pretty sure it's Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila). Sorry I edited my guess after looking closer at your pictures

 

[jandslegate]

I'm pretty sure it's American Elm (Ulmus americana).

Oh wow! If so, I now feel so much more pressure to keep it alive, heh.

 

[moke]

Oh wow! If so, I now feel so much more pressure to keep it alive, heh.

Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila). Sorry I edited my guess after looking closer at your pictures

 

[jandslegate]

Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila). Sorry I edited my guess after looking closer at your pictures

lol okay well I still want to keep it alive.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Double serrate leaf with a symmetrical leaf base. Siberian Elm - Ulmus pumila.

 

[Eckhoffw]

I love Siberian elms. Some around here (@Hartinez ) refer to them as ‘trash elms’, but are a really nice beginner species IMO.
It looks like it’s already getting some nice growth in the ground!

 

[jandslegate]

Ty everyone! Ive watched some of Corin Tomlinson's videos of his Siberian. So, I'm cool with having one.

 

[penumbra]

+1 Siberian Elm. I have several.

 

[jandslegate]

Thanks everyone. I feel like one of those people in those tv shows where they go over someone's ancestry, lol. Good to know what you I have. Now I just have to decide if and how I go about collecting the others in the brush ring, lol.

 

[sevan]

Can I jump in to this thread for another elm ID? I have seedlings like these all over my yard just north of Atlanta. I have not identified a parent tree yet, but my neighborhood has a mix of native woodlands and mature landscaped yards.

My plant ID app suggests water elm as the most likely, followed by winged elm and American elm. Unfortunately I don't have any mature bark, flowers, or seeds to ID from yet. Hopefully I can find a parent tree in the spring, but most of the mature trees are bare already.

 

[jandslegate]

Can I jump in to this thread for another elm ID? I have seedlings like these all over my yard just north of Atlanta. I have not identified a parent tree yet, but my neighborhood has a mix of native woodlands and mature landscaped yards.

My plant ID app suggests water elm as the most likely, followed by winged elm and American elm. Unfortunately I don't have any mature bark, flowers, or seeds to ID from yet. Hopefully I can find a parent tree in the spring, but most of the mature trees are bare already.

winged elm will be easy to identify once you get some branching established. I know that doesn't zero you in on the ID but I hope it helps a little at least.

Winged Elm - - Purdue Fort Wayne

Learn more about the Winged Elm tree, part of the Native Trees of Indiana River Walk.

www.pfw.edu