Any American Elm in the forum?

[Guest]

I would like to know if anyone has tried cultivating American Elm (Ulmus americana) for bonsai. Let me know the pros and cons of this species. If you have pictures, then feel free to post them.

All I have read about this species is that it is quite cold hardy, grows relatively fast, and leaves reduce well under pot culture.

[Randy_Davis]

I would like to know if anyone has tried cultivating American Elm (Ulmus americana) for bonsai. Let me know the pros and cons of this species. If you have pictures, then feel free to post them.

All I have read about this species is that it is quite cold hardy, grows relatively fast, and leaves reduce well under pot culture.

Suburbia,

I have grown one for a number of years from a root that I collected a number of years ago. It does work ok as bonsai and will leaf reduce. They are getting harder to find these days due to Dutch Elm disease but they can be found. Here is a link to one in the ABS Reference Image Libary. http://absbonsai.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=12&pid=398#top_display_media

R

[bonsaisr]

Yes, American elm can be grown as bonsai. Dave Easterbrook has a lovely one in the Montreal Botanical Garden.
There was a beautiful one in the last National Exhibition in Rochester. It gave me a hissy fit.
Here was a fine specimen of the species, except they styled it like any Chinese elm. I would have loved to see it styled in the distinctive vase form of the American elm that has vanished from our streets.
Iris

[Russell Coker]

Yep, we grow them way down here too. We call them "Florida elms", but it's really Ulmus americana var. floridana. Very rewarding material to work with, even into the "tropical" parts of Florida.

R

[DaveV.]

[url=https://servimg.com/view/16137211/20][/url]

Well.... I think I have part of it figured out now. This is an American elm that I air layered last spring. I'm not quite sure what style I should make with it. Broom seems too common. Any comments or virts are welcome. Thank you.


DaveV.

[JimLewis]

'twas a server problem - is fixed.

[DaveV.]

I wanted to restart this thread to show that it is relatively simple to air-layer elms, this particularly is an American Elm. The leaves to reduce nicely, not as small as Chinese Elms.

[bonsaisr]

I'm not quite sure what style I should make with it.
DaveV.

Please, please style it in the classic American elm shape, which is a modified broom, shaped sort of like a cocktail glass. If you prefer, the really old ones are more umbrella shape, like the Taiwan Ficus. Google will show you 719,000 pictures.
Iris

[Khaimraj Seepersad]

For Dave and Mrs. Iris -

Herbie the 212 Year old American Elm
http://princetonamericanelm.blogspot.com/2010/01/herbie-212-year-old-american-elm.html

I couldn't find a shot of the whole tree - apologies
Khaimraj

[DaveV.]

Yes, I will probably style it as a vase shape, since this is the way its looking now. Elms are my favorite trees.

[Rob Kempinski]

There elms I posted here are American Elms, but the Floridana variety.

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t5539p15-spring-has-sprung

[Russell Coker]

Dave, I think you have a nice start there. This is my "Florida elm". I got it from a friend a few years ago and have made some big changes, and put it in a bigger pot last year to let it grow. It has some flaws as a small tree that will go away as a larger bonsai.

Glad to see some interest in this thread, I guess no one grows cedar elms.

Feb. 2010



Feb 2011



R

[DaveV.]

That is a nice looking elm Russ. I bet it has a whole different look with the leaves on. Thanks for posting your elm.

Sincerely,

DaveV.

[Guest]

Very good tree Russ. Is Cedar Elm a true Elm. If it is, where does the name come from?

[Russell Coker]

Will, it's Ulmus crassifolia. I did a quick search but didn't find anything saying where that name comes from.

Thanks Dave.

R

[Randy_Davis]

Will, it's Ulmus crassifolia. I did a quick search but didn't find anything saying where that name comes from.

Thanks Dave.

R

Not sure how Nuttall (the botanist) was using it but the base of the name comes from the Latin "Crassus". My botanical references refer to the top of the leaf bing rough in texture.

crassus, crassa -um, crassior -or -us, crassissimus -a -um ADJ [XXXAO]
thick/deep; thick coated (w/ABL); turbid/muddy (river); dense/concentrated/soli
fat/stout; rude, coarse, rough, harsh, heavy, gross; stupid, crass/insensitive;

R

[Russell Coker]

[/quote]Not sure how Nuttall (the botanist) was using it but the base of the name comes from the Latin "Crassus". My botanical references refer to the top of the leaf bing rough in texture.[/quote]

Thanks Randy, got that part. I think Will was asking about the name "cedar elm". That's what I was referring to also although I wasn't very clear. Any thoughts on that? My guess is the bark, but it's just a guess.

I have to admit that I'm a little surprised at the lack of input with regards to our natives elms...

[Randy_Davis]

I think Will was asking about the name "cedar elm". That's what I was referring to also although I wasn't very clear. Any thoughts on that? My guess is the bark, but it's just a guess.

I have to admit that I'm a little surprised at the lack of input with regards to our natives elms...

Russell and Will,

Here's what the Ladybird Johnson research center says about the derivation of the common name.

"The common native elm in east Texas where it is planted for shade. Called Cedar Elm because of the rough, cedar scale-like texture of the leaves and because it is often found in the western part of its range with Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei), which is locally called cedar. The Latin species name means thick leaf"

We lean something every day!
R

[Khaimraj Seepersad]

Russell,

on our side, it's a case of you do the research, and if it looks good, then we will go out and rape the countryside. So I am always careful with what I talk about.

We presently have a somewhat functional Trini-Forum for bonsai and after much thought, I posted an image of a Fustic [ Clorophora tinctoria ].

You may find it better if just a few grew local elms.

Also what about me, went looking for Celtis o. and l., didn't find too much either.

If the Cedar elm, grew in my backyard in Lafayette, I would have had it working on today.
Best to you.
Khaimraj

[Randy_Davis]

Also what about me, went looking for Celtis o. and l., didn't find too much either.

Khaimraj

Khaimraj,

What were you looking for about Celtis o.?

Randy

[Khaimraj Seepersad]

Randy,

I am looking for work done on the American celtis o. and l. done by more or less Americans. Also if possible images of very mature single trees in nature to study.

My three American celtis trees, will probably reach the 3 inch trunks or surpass the expected size and I would like to start training for the 1,2,3 branches. I didn't want to just create another artistic effort.
Any help with where I might look would be much appreciated.
Khaimraj

[Randy_Davis]

Randy,

I am looking for work done on the American celtis o. and l. done by more or less Americans. Also if possible images of very mature single trees in nature to study.
Khaimraj

Khaimraj,

Celtis occidentalis grows native here in Western Kentucky and next time I'm in town I'll take a picture of some old mature trees and post them for you. Older mature trees have a wide buttressing on the trunk near ground level and an amazing bark structure as well. I've only seen a couple of really nice examples of bonsai made out of them and neglected to get a picture of them when I could. This is another one of those American Native trees that is used far too little in American bonsai. It performs just as well in container culture as the Chinese counterpart Celtis sinensis. I would love to hear from anyone that has a nice bonsai and a picture of it for sure.

Randy

[Khaimraj Seepersad]

Randy,

thank you very much!
Khaimraj

[Oliver Muscio]

Randy,
I am digging a celtis o. from my grow-bed this spring, but it is years away from being a bonsai. Right now it is just a trunk.
Oliver

[Randy_Davis]

Randy,
I am digging a celtis o. from my grow-bed this spring, but it is years away from being a bonsai. Right now it is just a trunk.
Oliver

Hi Oliver,

Nice to see someone working on this material. I have one in the ground that I've been trunk chopping for years now and one of these days I'll get around to digging it out and working on it.

Khaimraj,

Here is a photo of one I saw in town today. The top is not as nice as it used to be. We had a bad ice storm here 2 years ago and it suffered some damage to the canopy but I'm sure you get the picture of what they look like.

Randy

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