Japanese Elm
Ulmus japonica

Family: Ulmaceae

What it is like

Ulmus japonica is a deciduous Tree growing to 35 m (114ft 10in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from March to May, and the seeds ripen from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 35

Where it is found

Slopes, waterlands near stream and in valleys below 2000 - 2300 metres.

E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Leaves - raw or cooked. Young fruits - cooked. The fruit is about 15mm long and 10mm wide. Inner bark - cooked. It is usually dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups or added to cereal flours when making bread etc.

Inner bark: the bark that is found just beneath the tough outer bark of trees and shrubs.

Medicine

Rating: 1

The bark is diuretic, nervine and purgative.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Nervine: Stimulates and calms the nerves.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Other

Rating: 1

A fibre is obtained from the inner bark. The bark is soaked for 7 - 10 days in water, the inner and outer barks are then separated and the inner bark is stripped into strands and made into thread by chewing it. It is made into a coarse fabric. Wood - heavy, difficult to work. Used for axles, hubs etc.

Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

How it is grown

Prefers a fertile soil in full sun, but is easily grown in any soil of at least moderate quality so long as it is well drained. This species is resistant to 'Dutch elm disease', a disease that has destroyed the greater part of all the elm trees growing in Britain. The disease is spread by means of beetles. There is no effective cure (1992) for the problem, but most E. Asian, though not Himalayan, species are resistant (though not immune) to the disease so the potential exists to use these resistant species to develop new resistant hybrids with the native species. The various species of this genus hybridize freely with each other and pollen is easily saved, so even those species with different flowering times can be hybridized. Closely related to U. davidiana, and considered to be no more than a subspecies of that species by some botanists.

Propagating it: Seed - if sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates within a few days. Stored seed does not germinate so well and should be sown in early spring. The seed can also be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it dries on the tree) and sown immediately in a cold frame. It should germinate very quickly and will produce a larger plant by the end of the growing season. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Plants should not be allowed to grow for more than two years in a nursery bed since they form a tap root and will then move badly. Layering of suckers or coppiced shoots.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Canopy;

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 4-8

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

U. propinqua. Koidz.