Slippery elm, Red elm, Soft elm
Ulmus rubra

Family: Ulmaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows to 25 m tall. The trunk is 60 cm across. The bark is dark brown and deeply furrowed. The inner bark is slimy. The crown is open and flat topped. The branches are spreading. The leaves are large and rough. They are in 2 rows and 10-18 cm long and 5-7.5 cm wide. They are narrowly oval with an abrupt long point. The base is rounded and the sides are very unequal. There are double teeth along the edge. There are straight parallel veins along each side. The leaves are thick. They are dark green and rough above and have soft hairs underneath. They turn dull yellow in autumn. The flowers are 3 mm wide and green. There are many flowers on short stalks along the twigs. The fruit are 12-19 mm long. They are 1 seeded keys. They have light green broad and hairless wings.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows best on rich soils along streams. In the USA it grows up to 600 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Canada, North America, Turkey, Türkiye, USA

How it is used for food

The inner bark is dried and ground and mixed with milk and eaten. It is also chewed when fresh. The bark is brewed into tea.

Edible parts

Fruit, inner bark, leaves, bark - tea

How it is grown

Trees live for 125 years.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Ulmus americana var. rubra (Muhl.) Aiton; Ulmus crispa Willd.; Ulmus fulva Michx.; Ulmus pendula Willd.; Ulmus pubescens Walter;