My elm has developed a problem with 3 branches they have started splitting and swelling. I’ll have to cut them off , probably in the spring but what is the cause and is there a way to stop it from happening again. This tree is a 2nd year air layer. Thanks for any help.I dug the parent plant up from a friend’s yard that used to be an exquisite garden , so no I’m really not sure, just assumed.
I agree. That looks like a Chinese elm to me. A close-up of a leaf would help. I have a small-leafed American elm cultivar "Princeton" - but it still has the same leaf shape and asymmetrical base of a standard American elm.
Here are some pictures of leaves first 2 pictures are of this tree and last 2 pictures are from the parent tree I took the air layer two years ago.I agree. That looks like a Chinese elm to me. A close-up of a leaf would help. I have a small-leafed American elm cultivar "Princeton" - but it still has the same leaf shape and asymmetrical base of a standard American elm.
Then if this was a planted garden you have many more to pick from.
Thank you very much this helps a lot! I have tons of elms around my timber. This will greatly help identify them.
Just remember that there is a degree of variability in all trees - and that even though American elms, in general, have two teeth per serration, doesn't mean that you won't find some serrations with only one, or some that appear to have three
Here are some pictures of leaves first 2 pictures are of this tree and last 2 pictures are from the parent tree I took the air layer two years ago.
Not true for all elms. American elm typically has a smooth glossy upper surface however the similar looking slippery elm has a hairy rough surface. And to further confuse thenissue this can vary among different genetic strains. Some elms aren’t too difficult to tell apart but slippery and American elms can be a PITA. I have a slippery elm bonsai and it has driven me nuts trying to definitively distinguish it from the American elm in my neighbors front yard. At least I think is an American elm!
Not true. Some elms have rough leaves, others not so much. The leaves on my cedar elms are like a cats tongue rough, while the leaves on my winged elm aren't.
Is there any difference on how well leaf size reduces?
True American elms can be quite large trees, with leaves to match. If you can find an old one, you might see leaves that are 6". However the newer cultivars the are being developed that are resistant to Dutch elm disease tend to be smaller... though not all are. My American elms are Princeton cultivar and their leaves are every bit as small as my Chinese elms.
I have quite a few with double serrated leaves and a few with many serrations, with leaves 3-4” long. Will they reduce or is it a shot in the dark for most of them.
