amer. elm or amer. hornbeam?

I keep looking at pictures and written descriptions of a American elm and a American hornbeam but can not tell the difference. The only thing I noticed is that the mature bark is different. Any suggestions?

If you look at the base of the leaf, where it meets the petiole, the leaf of an American Elm will generally be asymmetrical, while the Hornbeam will be symmetrical.

Perfect, thank you.

But the bark is the distinctive difference.

Yeah the only problem is that im looking for younger trees so the bark (if the old bark is the only way) is not so distinctive.

Jake16 wrote:Yeah the only problem is that im looking for younger trees so the bark (if the old bark is the only way) is not so distinctive.

I don't have any hornbeams in my area, so it's a bit hard to give a first hand account of what the bark looks likes. However, in most images I have seen, they seem to be smooth barked, and sinuous looking. The Florida elms starts to show fairly rough bark on trees that are 8-10 feet tall.

American elm (left), the leaf feels like fine sandpaper. American Hornbeam (middle), notice the reddishness and the leaf is smooth and thin.

Taiwan cherry (right), just to screw with your mind.

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abcd,
I think you have the drawings' labels reversed: it's the elm leaf that has an asymmetrical base.
Oliver

And then there is the American Hackberry whose (variable) leaves can look like either/any of those. Leaves often are the poorest diagnostic. Bark, twigs and buds are VERY distinctive.

JimLewis wrote:And then there is the American Hackberry whose (variable) leaves can look like either/any of those. Leaves often are the poorest diagnostic. Bark, twigs and buds are VERY distinctive.

Hackberry leaves tend to be thinner, smoother, lighter in color and a bit more spade/heart shaped than elms. This isn't meant to be a contradiction, just a distinction. But Jim is right, it seems that elms, and other related species can have extremely variable leaf shapes, so it's probably better to look at other features.

Thank you Russell that helps a lot and thank you every one else for the posts.

Sorry for the mistake :
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