Russian Elm – Ulmus laevis
Family Ulmaceae – Hackberry, Elm
Russian elm is adapted to waterlogged soil and is often found near watercourses.
Russian elm is also commonly called Fluttering Elm, Spreading Elm, and European White Elm. It is a large tree native to Europe, from France northeast to southern Finland, and southeast to Bulgaria and the Crimea; there is also a population in the Caucasus.
Essentially a riparian species, it is commonly encountered along the Volga and Danube rivers. It is the only elm tolerant of waterlogged ground, its massive shallow root system forming distinctive high buttresses around the trunk.
Like other European elms, it has little resistance to Dutch elm disease, but is eschewed by the vector bark beetles and only rarely becomes infected.
Russian Elm, Morton Arboretum acc. 1946-24*1 photos by Bruce Marlin
Family Ulmaceae – Hackberries and Elms
Trees Index
Tree Encyclopedia / North American Insects & Spiders
Online since 2002
