Ulmus laciniata
Family: Ulmaceae
What it is like
Ulmus laciniata is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft 10in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from May to June. 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): 10
Where it is found
Temperate forests all over Japan.
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Leaves - raw or cooked. Inner bark - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and 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: 0
Other
Rating:
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. Closely related to U. glabra. 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.
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; Secondary;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist