Diseases of elm (Ulmus spp.)

Abstract

Only one species of elm, Ulmus glabra, the wych elm, seems to be truly native in Britain. It occurs widely in northern Europe, and a number of weeping and other varieties, grown in parks and gardens, are also found. Other elms, including the English or common elm, U. procera, and the smooth-leaved or European field elm, U. minor (U. carpinifolia) are thought to have been introduced to Britain around the Roman period. In the rest of Europe U. minor is widespread over a large part of the continent, while U. procera occurs chiefly in Spain. Varieties of the smooth-leaved elm include U. minor var. cornubiensis, the Cornish elm, and var. sarniensis, the Guernsey or Wheatley elm. The European white elm, U. laevis, grows across Europe from France to Finland. Many elms were widely grown in town and country, in woodlands, in hedgerows, in parkland and in suburban streets. All the elms in Europe (and in North America) have been severely affected by the epidemic of Dutch elm disease which began in the late 1960s. As a result, in large areas most of the mature trees have been lost.