Ulmus crassifolia Nutt., the Texas cedar elm or simply cedar elm, is a deciduoustree native to south central North America, mainly in southern and eastern Texas, southern Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, with small populations in western Mississippi, southwest Tennessee and north central Florida; it also occurs in northeastern Mexico. It is the most common elm tree in Texas. The tree typically grows well in flat valley bottom areas referred to as 'Cedar Elm Flats'. The common name 'cedar elm' is derived from the trees' association with juniper trees, locally known as cedars.
Description
The cedar elm is a medium to large deciduous tree growing to 24-27 m tall with a rounded crown. The leaves are small, 2.5-5 cm long by 1.3-2 cm broad, with an oblique base, and distinguish it from Ulmus serotina with which it readily hybridizes in the wild. Leaf fall is late, often in early winter. The wind-pollinated apetalous perfect flowers are produced in the late summer or early fall; they are small and inconspicuous, with a reddish-purple color. The fruit is a small winged samara 8-10 mm long, maturing quickly after the flowering in late fall.
Pests and diseases
Cedar elm is susceptible to Dutch elm disease, though less so than American elm, and moderately damaged by the elm leaf beetleXanthogaleruca luteola. The tree also suffers from a vascular wilt, the symptoms often confused with those of DED. Cedar elms are very susceptible to mistletoe. Mistletoe is a parasite that roots itself in to the vascular system of the tree, thus stealing valuable nutrients and water. In some cases, if not removed the parasite can be devastating to large sections of trees and even fatal. They create club like branches that die out at the ends. These "club" branches create openings for future pests like the elm beetles and carpenter ants. There are no known treatments that are safe enough to kill mistletoe without killing the tree. Removing the mistletoe manually is not a guarantee, however it is the best known method for control.
Cultivation
U. crassifolia is extremely rare in cultivation in Europe and Australasia. Specimens were supplied by the Späth nursery of Berlin from the late 19th century. Henry and Bean note that it does not thrive in northern Europe, where the branchlets often die back. Three trees supplied by Späth to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1902 as U. crassifolia may survive in Edinburgh as it was the practice of the garden to distribute trees about the city.
