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Ulmus parvifolia
Also called Lacebark Elm, Lacebark
Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is a small to medium deciduous or semi-evergreen tree from eastern Asia, grown for its lustrous leaves and flaking mottled bark. It is tough and adaptable, and tolerates harsh sites such as street planters and parking lots.
Ulmus parvifolia, commonly known as the Langyu, Chinese elm or lacebark elm, is a species native to eastern Asia, including China, India, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Siberia, and Kazakhstan. It has been described as "one of the most splendid elms, having the poise of a graceful Nothofagus".
The Chinese elm is a tough landscape tree, hardy enough for use in harsh planting situations such as parking lots, small planters along streets, and plazas or patios. The tree is arguably the most ubiquitous elm, now found on all continents except Antarctica. It was introduced to Europe at the end of the 18th century as an ornamental, and is found in many botanical gardens and arboreta. The tree was introduced to the UK in 1794 by James Main, who collected in China for Gilbert Slater of Low Layton, Essex. It was also introduced to the United States in 1794, where, before the introduction of cold-hardy forms from the 1990s, it was mainly planted in southern States and in California. It has proved very popular in recent years as a replacement for American elms killed by Dutch elm disease. The tree was distributed in Victoria, Australia, from 1857. At the beginning of the 20th century, Searl's Garden Emporium, in Sydney, marketed it. Three U. parvifolia were supplied in 1902 by Späth to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Winged elm · American elm · Ulmus 'Androssowii' · Cedar elm · Wych Elm · European White Elm · Ulmus lanceifolia · Ulmus minor 'Plotii' · Siberian elm · Slippery elm · Rock elm · Elm
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ulmus parvifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
