Ulmus 'Myrtifolia'
| Ulmus | |
|---|---|
| Cultivar | 'Myrtifolia' |
| Origin | England? |
The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Myrtifolia' occasionally referred to as the Myrtle Leaved Elm was identified by Nicholson in Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs 2: 135, 1896 but without description. It was later listed as a cultivar by Rehder in Jour. Arnold Arb. 20: 87 1939, and by Krüssmann in Handbuch der Laubgehölze 2: 540, 1962.
Description
'Myrtifolia' was described as having leaves ovate or rhombic-ovate to oblong-ovate, 2–5 cm long with nearly simple teeth, loosely pilose on both sides. The specimen under this name in the Herb. Nicholson at Kew was considered by Melville to be a probable U. minor × Ulmus minor 'Plotii' hybrid.[1]
Cultivation
The tree is not known to remain in cultivation. However, a small, slow-growing, dense-crowned old elm (15 m, girth 2 m), possibly 'Myrtifolia', with very small narrow leaves, stands near 90 Lower Granton Rd, Edinburgh (2014), in a garden that was once part of the elm-planted grounds of Wardie House (demolished 1955).[2] Its leaves, which flush and fall late,[3] are lance-shaped or oval (2–4.5 cm by 1.3–2 cm; petioles 0.5–1 cm), like miniature Plot Elm leaves.
Synonymy
- Ulmus campestris (: minor) var. myrtifolia Hort.: Nicholson, in Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs 2: 135, 1896.
- Ulmus buxifolia Hort.: Nicholson, Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs 2: 135, 1896, in synonymy.
References
- ↑ Green, P. S. (1964). Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus. Arnoldia, Vol. 24. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University.
- ↑ Wardie House, edinphoto.org.uk/0_a_o/0_around_edinburgh_-_wardie_and_granton_1904_and_2004_with_legends_added.htm#pictures
- ↑ Lower Granton Rd elm may be seen on Google Streetview, angled from No. 94 [westbound carriageway]