American Elm

Latin name: Ulmus americana

Etymology: Ulmus americana gets its name from its native range. The name comes from the Latin words for ‘elm’ (ulmus) and ‘from America’ (americana).

Family: Ulmaceae (Elms)

Origin: Eastern North America

Native habitats: Bottomlands, alluvial flats, margins of streams, ponds, swamps, and lakes, and on moist fertile slopes and in uplands

The graceful vase-like form of American Elm once lined the streets of towns and cities, before succumbing to the introduced Dutch Elm Disease. American elms in Princeton have proved more persistent than elsewhere.

Description: American elms grow  80-125 feet high and a diameter of 2-10 feet. Leaves are dark green, rough-textured, ovate-elliptic with toothed margins, asymmetrical bases, and a long, slightly curved point. They measure between 2-6” and turn golden yellow in the fall. The mature bark is divided into flat braided ridges and generally firm and smooth but tends to come off in flakes on old trees. Twigs are hairless or nearly so and branchlets don’t have corky ‘wings’. Flowers are insignificant greenish-red and appear in early spring. Fruits are single-seeded wafer-like samaras that are clustered on long stems and mature in April-May. 

Similar species: Slippery elm has rough-hairy twigs and red, hairy buds. Secondary veins of slippery elm leaves are frequently forked. 

Wildlife Value: The abundant seeds of American elm that ripen in late spring provide important soft mast/food for birds and small mammals. Other trees providing early seed are red maple and, until recently, ash. Though American elms no longer attain advanced size and age, young elms persist in the landscape, producing seed at an early age, before succumbing to the disease. 

Uses: The wood is hard and strong but difficult to split.