AMERICAN ELM - Ulmus americana, Linn.
THE AMERICAN ELM has played a notable role in American history. It remains to be determined whether or not many of the legends of this famous tree are true. The Judgment Tree near Daniel Boone's old home on Femme Osage Creek in St. Charles County is an American elm. It was beneath this tree that the aging Boone, as a Spanish syndic or judge, dispensed justice to his neighbors in the Femme Osage district.
Shade tree owners are probably more familiar with the leaves of American elm than any other tree. They are simple, alternate with coarse saw tooth edges. On the upper surface the leaf is smooth while the underside is downy. In autumn leaves turn pale yellow. Until all leaves have dropped, the task of raking is practically endless.
The seed is surrounded by a broad notched wing. The seeds, buds, and bark furnish food for squirrels and many songbirds. These abundant seeds can become a nuisance to gardeners and homeowners.
Twigs are slender, reddish-brown, turning gray. Buds are pointed, red-brown, smooth or slightly downy. The bark is gray., rough, furrowed and covered with thin scales, white or gray. in spots.
Although American elm is essentially a bottomland tree, it will grow under a variety of conditions with some attention. American elm has been planted widely throughout the state for shade. Before the dreaded Dutch elm disease and Phloem necrosis, two fatal diseases of most elms, American elm was the all-American shade tree. Thousands of trees in cities and towns have been killed by these diseases. Unless some remedy is found soon, the elms will likely go the way of the chestnut and disappear from the American scene.
Leaf-eating insects riddle elm leaves some years. Wet wood is another bacterial disease within the elm tree, causing white streaks to form on larger limbs and branches when the sap, under pressure, leaks out.
Limited uses are made of elm logs for the manufacture of lumber.
