Habitat

• native to Europe and northern Africa
• hardy to zone 5

Habit and Form

• a large, deciduous tree
• 70' to 90' tall
• pyramidal form
• ascending branches
• medium texture
• moderate growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• oblique leaf base
• ovate leaf shape
• doubly serrated
• pubescent
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• turns yellowish-brown
• not ornamentally important

Flowers

• not of any ornamental value

Fruit

• one-winged, rounded samaras
• notched at top
• greenish yellow in color
• ripens May through June
• not noticeable

Bark

• brown pubescent stems
• ashy-gray bark color

Culture

• easily transplanted
• pH adaptable
• prefers moist, fertile soil
• prune in September to October
• soil salt tolerant

Landscape Use

• for beautiful habit
• street tree
• lawn tree

Liabilities

• Wetwood
• cankers
• leaf curl
• leaf spot
• powdery mildew
• aphids
• elm leaf minor
• elm leaf beetle
• somewhat resistant to Dutch Elm Disease

ID Features

• imbricate brownish-black buds, pubescent
• terminal bud absent
• samaras in spring
• alternate leaf arrangement
• oblique leaf base
• doubly, serrate leaf margins
• pubescent stems
• deciduous, generally pyramidal

Propagation

• cultivars, by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

Listed here are several direct selections of this species, as well as several hybrids that include U. carpinifolia as a parent.

'Frontier' - A hybrid selection, this plant expresses moderate resistance to disease. It is an oval-upright tree that grows to 40' tall with a narrower spread. The glossy summer foliage turns reddish in fall.

'Homestead' - Resistant to Dutch elm disease and elm yellows, this hybrid tree assumes an upright-oval habit with symmetrical branching to 60' tall and 40' wide. The dark green foliage turns yellow in fall, and the plants grows quickly and is suitable as a street tree.

'Pioneer' - This hybrid expresses good resistance to most ailments that plague elms. It grows quickly to form a rounded tree to 60' tall and wide. The attractive summer foliage is dark green, turning yellow in fall.

'Regal' - A complex hybrid selection, this tree is resistant to Dutch elm disease. From an ornamental perspective, however, the plant leaves much to be desired. The open, upright growth habit (to 60' tall and perhaps 30' wide) is not as pleasing as most elm selections. The leaves also lack the strong green color and glossy sheen of many other cultivars.

'Sarniensis' - This is a selection of U. carpinifolia that forms a narrow, upright tree. Though the foliage is dark green and the tree is handsome when healthy, it appears somewhat prone to Dutch elm disease infection.

'Umbraculifera' - A form of U. carpinifolia, this form is usually grafted as a standard to form a small rounded tree with dense branching. It may grow 20' to 30' tall.

'Variegata' - Sometimes offered by specialty nurseries, this variety of U. carpinifolia features leaves that are attractively marked with white. It may grow to 30' tall.