CHAPTER XLIV.
ON THE ELM.
To the critical botanist the study of the different kinds of Elm is one of the most perplexing subjects he has to cope with, the fact being, that if the seed of any one form be cultivated, the results will seldom or never be uniform, for not only may several well-known varieties be produced from the seed of a single tree, but even new forms may thus be obtained.
On this account have arisen the great discrepancies one meets with in authors as regards nomenclature; some making many species of the Elms commonly met with in Great Britain, while others reduce them to two; viz.—
Ulmus campestris—Small-leaved, Common Upright or English Elm.
Ulmus montana—Large-leaved, Spreading Scotch or Wych Elm.
But though these are the names used by most authors to distinguish these two well-recognized forms, yet they have been reversed in Dr. Arnott’s edition of Hooker’s “Flora,” thus:—
Ulmus suberosa (Ehrh.)—Common or English Elm.
Ulmus campestris (L.)—Broad-leaved or Wych Hazel.
Now it is not our object to enter into a discussion on the much-vexed question of species, and therefore, without even determining whether the English and Scotch Elms be absolutely distinct, we shall yet describe as two well-established forms of forest trees, and endeavour to put them in their proper position among profitable and ornamental timber trees, to which end we would distinguish them as follows:—
| 1. Ulmus campestris. | 2. Ulmus Montana. |
| (English Elm.) | (Scotch Elm.) |
| Leaves small, doubly-notched at the margin, with an alternation of larger and smaller teeth (alternately serrate). | Leaves larger, divided into segments at the margin, which segments are notched with fine serrated teeth. |
| Fruit small and flat, with a deep notch at the apex; bunches somewhat small and inconspicuous. | Fruit large and flat, with a slight notch at the apex; bunches large and having the general appearance of bunches of hops. |
| Branches more or less spreading, inclining to be rough or even corky (suberose). Twigs more orless hairy. | Branches more or less upright, smooth, and even. Twigs sometimes clothed with a short down. |
| Bole more or less towering upwards, its divisions having the same tendency. Arms more like those of the beech. | Bole shorter, branching at a moderate elevation into large spreading arms, more like those of the oak. |
| Roots throwing up suckers often at a great distance from the tree. | Roots not stoloniferous. |