American Elm

American Elm (Ulmus americana)

Identification

This deciduous tree of floodplain and wetlands has a wide native range across the eastern United States. The trunks of this tree tend to split into large branches fairly low and begin to weep towards the edges. Leaves are simple, alternate, deeply serrated, and taper to a point. The alternate pattern of the foliage is especially obvious in winter and early spring. Flower buds can be distinguished from leaf buds by size and shape; flower buds are larger and rounder than the sleek leaf buds. Buds have dark edging to them. Flowers are non-descript and reddish with many stamen that extend past the petals. Twigs are reddish-brown.

Examples:

Mature leaves of the American Elm.

NPS Photo/ W. Kaselow

Young leaves of the American Elm.

NPS Photo/ W. Kaselow

Flowers of the American Elm.

NPS Photo/ W. Kaselow

Fruits of the American Elm.

NPS Photo/ W. Kaselow

Fall leaf coloring of the American Elm.

Daryl_mitchell via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0