Tree Description:
A large tree to 90 feet tall and a trunk diameter to 3 feet, with a buttressed base and upright branches that form a spreading, vase-shaped crown.
Range/Site Description:
Occurs across a vast area of the eastern U.S., into East and Central Texas, occurring naturally on well-drained soils along streams and rivers, but also planted widely as a shade tree.
Leaf:
Alternate, simple, 4" to 6" long and 2" to 3" wide, oval or ovate in shape, tip drawn to a point, lopsided at the base, and double-toothed along the margin; leaf surface is either smooth or rough above and pubescent or smooth below, with raised veins.
Flower:
Appearing before the leaves in early spring as small, greenish clusters on slender stalks in the axils of the leaves.
Fruit:
An oval "samara" (winged fruit), with the seed portion in the center surrounded entirely by a wing with a fuzzy edge, ripening in the spring. The hairs on the samara margin and the deep notch in the end are characteristic of the species.
Bark:
Dark gray, divided into irregular flat-topped, thick ridges, with narrow fissures between. An incision into an outer ridge of bark will show alternating brown and cream colored layers.
Wood:
Heavy, hard, strong, tough, and difficult to split; once used for wheel hubs, saddle trees, veneer for baskets and crates, and furniture parts.
Similar Species:
Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) has very rough leaf surfaces and seeds without hairs on the margin.
Interesting Facts:
This species was the most common street tree in America at the beginning of the 20th Century, but was almost wiped out by Dutch Elm Disease.
