Winged Elm

[Oliver Muscio]

They can be hard to distinguish. I have a small elm that was once identified by a local university horticulturist as a winged elm, even though it showed no wings (a variable feature, he said.) My other (true) winged elms (ulmus alata) have prominent wings. One time a couple of years ago, I let the apex grow out to a couple of feet in length as part of a restyle. The leaves on this branch were much, much larger than the leaves on the rest of the tree, which had obviously been much reduced under bonsai culture (still no wings, by the way.) The leaves on this elongated branch were, in fact, much larger than those of a winged elm I was growing unrestricted in the ground. The tree was clearly NOT a winged elm, but, rather an American elm.
Oliver

 

[sorce]

A side note.

I've noticed with all my Ulmus. That the size of a bud indicates the size of the branch and leaves.

I knocked off some big ones last year, and 2 small buds pushed below that one. Now I have 2 general directions to go in, with finer branching.

Though of course that tree needs to grow out, the large buds are good for those full size photosynthesizers, good for adding bulk.

Ulmus bud removal is a diligent path to excellence.

That's not a booger under my nail, its an elm bud! Oops, that one was a booger.

Sorce

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Any advice on the best time to collect one of these? Also any updated pictures?

 

[Zach Smith]

Any advice on the best time to collect one of these? Also any updated pictures?

Winged elms should be collected in late winter. Be aware that they are reluctant to produce anything but very slim radial roots, so you may not come up with much when you lift a specimen. They do produce what seems to be an immensely long taproot. Be prepared to saw the tree out of the ground; they don't dig well at all. Success rate is 80% or better.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Thanks, can I take just the stump? Or will I need branches? I could also chop it and leave it in the ground, although I wouldn't be able to care for it.

 

[Zach Smith]

Thanks, can I take just the stump? Or will I need branches? I could also chop it and leave it in the ground, although I wouldn't be able to care for it.

Yep, no branches needed. More often than not you don't get suitable branches when collecting deciduous trees. Be sure to seal the chop and any other cut 1/4" and over.

Unless you're growing on your own property to increase trunk girth, I recommend never chopping and leaving a tree in the ground. This is especially true if the tree is in dense forest. Chopping them back in such environments tends to weaken them.

 

[GrimLore]

I received one from @Mellow Mullet when we were at his place this past early Spring. It was a whip so to speak, planted by a Squirrel in a fence planter with his Wife's Flora. He had taken it, chopped the tap and fastened it to a board for radial root growth. It went into a chopped down 10 - 12 inch wide nursery pot no deeper then 6 inches.
I brought it home, placed it at the base of a landscape Cherry tree and have just let it grow. It grew so fast I had to put a stake next to it and strap it in.
Today, still uncut, the roots have secured it to the ground and it is 6 feet tall with close to a 2 inch trunk
For the record if it is a winged Elm here is what the branches should all look like from large to small. Even tiny branch show "wing"





Grimmy

 

[Oliver Muscio]

Colin, any updates on your elm?
Oliver

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I received one from @Mellow Mullet when we were at his place this past early Spring. It was a whip so to speak, planted by a Squirrel in a fence planter with his Wife's Flora. He had taken it, chopped the tap and fastened it to a board for radial root growth. It went into a chopped down 10 - 12 inch wide nursery pot no deeper then 6 inches.
I brought it home, placed it at the base of a landscape Cherry tree and have just let it grow. It grew so fast I had to put a stake next to it and strap it in.
Today, still uncut, the roots have secured it to the ground and it is 6 feet tall with close to a 2 inch trunk
For the record if it is a winged Elm here is what the branches should all look like from large to small. Even tiny branch show "wing"

View attachment 164735

View attachment 164736

Grimmy

Man, that thing took off didn't it? Must've been fertilizer in that plastic cutting board. It will be interesting to see what the roots look like when you go to repot it.

John

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Check this one out from Smith Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw GA, must be about 5 ft tall

 

[GrimLore]

Man, that thing took off didn't it? Must've been fertilizer in that plastic cutting board. It will be interesting to see what the roots look like when you go to repot it.

John

Yes indeed - here it is and looking at he fence it is actually over 6 foot - there really is some trees that just do a lot better up North



Grimmy

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Yes indeed - here it is and looking at he fence it is actually over 6 foot - there really is some trees that just do a lot better up North

View attachment 164776

Grimmy

Wow, hard to believe that it was thinner than a pencil just this spring. Maybe I will send mine up there, lol

 

[GrimLore]

It will be interesting to see what the roots look like when you go to repot it.

I will take pictures. Needs to be separated from the ground, cut out of the pot, and bare rooted to get rid of that little pesty thing that covers the soil - that stuff is tough!

Wow, hard to believe that it was thinner than a pencil just this spring.

Crystal had not been paying attention and thought it was one the fruit trees we had delivered two days after returning. They went into various pots and grew the same, some even more... It was a good growing season for a lot of things this year.

Grimmy

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I will take pictures. Needs to be separated from the ground, cut out of the pot, and bare rooted to get rid of that little pesty thing that covers the soil - that stuff is tough! Grimmy

The little green weed stuff with the round leaves? That stuff is evil! It is the gift that keeps on giving. Someone in the club gave me some planted in a little pot as an accent plant. It looked really cool. Two years later every pot I owned had the stuff in it and it was growing between the cracks in the benches. It must reproduce by spores of something. It is evil....

 

[GrimLore]

The little green weed stuff with the round leaves? That stuff is evil!

Yes indeed I have managed to keep it contained in the pot with Roundup but it comes back quickly after it browns out. Pretty certain a bare root and uber cleaning while destroying the old soil with do.

Grimmy

 

[Cadillactaste]

Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia) is one of only two native elms that flower in the fall. The rest are spring flowering elms. So if your tree flowers in the fall it's for sure a Cedar Elm - they can also develop wings. The only other one that does is the September Elm (Ulmus serotina) and it's very rare and there are no wings. All of the other native elms flower in the spring. So Cedar Elm do not hybridize as other elms do as they flower out of season with other native.

Also, crassifolia is from the Latin crassus meaning "thick". The bottom of the leaves are supposedly rough when they harden off. But I've never found that to be especially diagnostic.

If it's truly a Winged Elm (Ulmus alata) it flowers in the spring. It should develop thick wings on vigorous new growth by the fall that look like this:

View attachment 70700
The wings on cedars are far more modest and gray in color.

Scott

I left mine grow out...and the vigorous growth did produce wings. The wired branches...didn't. Though the new growth on the wired branches...has wings. Strange...must not like wire.