Abstract

ROBINSON, DIANE. 1987. The rise and fall of the beloved elm. Am. Nurseryman 165(9): 121-122, 124,126,128.

The resurrection of the American elm (Ulmus americana) has been a dream of many horticulturists since its decline in the 1930s. And with current research and technology, that dream may become a reality. In 1983, the american liberty elm (Ulmus americana libertas) was introduced by plant pathologists at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. According to Dr. Eugene Smalley, plant pathologist at the University, these elms are a series of native American elms derived from controlled pollinations made in 1968 and 1970 between selected disease-resistant parents. The University had previously released the elm hybrid Sapporo 'Autumn Gold' and the complex elm hybrid Ulmus'Regal'. These, however, did not have the form of the American elm. The 'Pioneer' elm, a disease-resistant European-Asian hybrid, is a nice tree, but it doesn't have the canopy form of the American elm. It's not as majestic. No one has been able to breed the American elm with European and Asian elms due to genetic restrictions.

• © 1988, International Society of Arboriculture. All rights reserved.