what kind of elm do i have?

Joey Meister

so I had always thought this was a chinese elm, am i correct? it was a rescue that was growing too close to a neighbors house, i dug it up and it seems to be fine this is it's second year since transplanting. also is it ok to let it grow with two trunks or should one be removed? i think it is also time to remove the grass and add fresh mulch

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MoDirt

I might get roasted for guessing this but I think its an Eastern Hop Hornbeam, 'Ostrya virginiana'

my Elm guess would be Ulmus americana .

A close up shot of the leaves would help.

Garry Brockley

I would have put this into the Prunus sp, possibly a cherry, the bark is wrong for hornbeam as it has horizontal flecks and no buttresses

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Brent Ferris

As Garry Brockley says, it is not a hop hornbeam. And cherry usually has serrations that turn inwards at the tip. Chinese Elm leaf has nearly unequal bases, simply serrated leaves, whereas Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) has nearly equal bases and simple serrations. THe fruit is probably the easiest way to distinguish between them -- Chinese Elm flowers and fruits in the fall, Siberian Elm flowers and fruits in the spring. Dimensions of the leaves can help eliminate various elm species, roughness of the leaves, pairs of veins and so on.
The tree can have one stem or two, but what is the fork like? If it looks like it will split, make it one stem.
There is seldom any need for mulch, both species grow rapidly, thrive with neglect, and reach heights of 80 ft plus, crown widths of 60-80 ft. 2-4 feet of vertical growth per year is not uncommon.
Chinese Elm is the preferred species - stronger tree; Siberian Elm has very brittle branches that commonly break in storms.

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Joey Meister

treeshaveneeds, you are right with Siberian Elm, as the mother tree that this tree is from always flowers in the spring and it is very brittle, it always is loosing branches in storms, also looked at pictures or chinese and siberian elm leaves, never noticed the difference before. the mother tree has to be at least 40-50 years old and has a nice weeping habit , that is why i wanted to save this one, only downside is the seeds get everywhere and grow likes weeds, also how prone are these trees to Dutch Elm Disease?

Joey Meister

here is a picture of where the two trunks join, is this an ok joint?

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Brent Ferris

The joint is hard to tell from the pic -- uncertain if black line is branch bark ridge or a crack. Compare the union to your hand -- if the union looks smooth as between forefinger and thumb, it should be a strong union. IF the union looks like there is a crease between them, sort of like between the other fingers then remove it. Or, envision what each stem would look like in 40 years, each being 40-60 ft longer and ask yourself if you want that extra stem there. It would prob make cutting the grass more hazardous, LOL.
Certainly the best time to remove the stem is when the limbs are small. THe resultant decay will have minimal effect in a 2 ft diameter trunk.

Both Chinese Elm and Siberian Elm are from Asia, as is Dutch Elm disease. THey have a natural resistance, I am not sure if they are impervious, but I have seen many native elms die from DED, and on the same property the Chinese or Siberian Elms live on.

Many people think Siberian Elm and Chinese Elm produce a lot of fruit, and generate a lot of new trees. BUt consider that a 50 year old tree probably generates around 100,000 seeds, and we think 10 or 20 of these means the tree grows everywhere? That is about 1/100th of 1 % - not earth shaking regeneration statistics those. IF the human race propagated like that there would still be a lot of empty parts in the world left.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)