Winged Elm (Ulmus alata)

Today we added a young winged elm (Ulmus alata) to the arboretum collection. This species grows abundantly in Caddo Parish—it is very 'weedy'. There are three mature winged elms in the arboretum: one is an on-site native; one was intentionally collected from Walter B. Jacobs Nature Park in Caddo Parish; and one is a volunteer. Our new recruit was planted in full sun near Mickle Hall, and it is expected to flourish with very little maintenance.

This specimen was collected in Caddo Parish, just north of Shreveport. Discovered in 2023, after it had germinated in a pot of soil meant for another plant, it now enters the Centenary campus as a 2-year-old, measuring 18 inches tall.

Our little tree has already leafed-out. We see serrate leaf margins.

And looking closer, we see a slight ridge along the stem. This young tree is developing its corky 'wings', which help us identify this tree as a 'winged' elm. Sweet gum trees (Liquidambar styraciflua) also have this characteristic.

 

 

US Forest Service Ulmus alata Fact Sheet 

Winged Elm (Ulmus alata)

This past week, the winged elm (Ulmus alata) at the southwest corner of Mickle Hall had bright yellow leaves.

 

The winged elm is pictured on the left side of the frame, converging in the middle with leaves from the red maples (Acer rubrum), which are mostly yellow this year, too.

These leaves will no doubt be falling soon, so enjoy them while they last.

Tree of the Week: Winged Elm (Ulmus alata)

Nearing mid-February, most of the deciduous trees remain uncloaked. However, there are hints, or tiny specks, of spring all around. Pictured below, our tree of the week, the winged elm (Ulmus alata), possesses a certain shimmer when the rays of the winter sun hit its twigs.

Our tree of the week is pictured center. Its trunk is divided low, creating a vase shape. This winged elm grows in a sunny spot on the east side of Rotary Hall dormitory. During the summer, this grassy slope lacks regular irrigation; however, its proximity to the dormitory means that the roots of this elm might have access to a French drain. Its specific age is unknown.

Like the other winged elms in northwest Louisiana, our tree of the week shimmers in the sun.

Seemingly dormant from afar, we see that up close the twigs are very active. The shimmer, or glimmer, comes from the light hitting the reproductive growth of the winged elm.

Flowers of the winged elm are very small and appear in clusters. The developing fuzzy fruits become winged samaras.

Tree of the Week: Winged Elm (Ulmus alata)

During the winter months in Louisiana, the sun comes in at an angle and hits the bare limbs and trunks of our deciduous trees, resulting in long shadows on the landscape. Often these shadows are mixed together or they collide with the shadows of other objects, but sometimes they stand alone, exhibiting the quintessential form of the tree. Last winter we studied the shadow cast by a post oak onto the south-facing wall of Mickle Hall (read here). Open lawns also provide a good surface for cast shadows.

At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and its neighboring winged elm (Ulmus alata) were throwing strong shadows on the grassy slope near Rotary Hall. The cottonwood has a thick, straight trunk, and thus casts a corresponding thick, straight shadow. Nothing too noteworthy. The winged elm, however, possesses an elegant vase shape, the shadow of which stretches out on the lawn: the form of the tree is more readily visible as a shadow than by looking at the tree itself.

This particular winged elm, growing on the slope by Rotary Hall, is an old, on-site native. The gray bark is rough and fissured. Although perhaps the progenitor of a younger volunteer in the catalogue, this individual has not been included in the arboretum catalogue until today. We will keep track of it, and most likely study it again next week.

Check out an autumnal picture of the elm and the cottonwood here.

Ulmus alata