Ulmus glabra 'Nana'
Encyclopedia
The elm cultivar 'Nana' is a very slow growing shrub, believed for many years to be Ulmus glabra and known widely as the 'Dwarf Wych Elm'.
However, the ancestry of 'Nana' has been disputed in more recent years, Melville
considering the specimen once grown at Kew to have been a cultivar of Ulmus × hollandica
.
The tree rarely exceeds 5 m in height, but is often broader . Green describes it as a very distinct variety not growing above 2 feet (60 cm) in 10 to 12 years. The dark green leaves are smaller than the type, < 11 cm long by 8 cm broad. A specimen at Kew
was described by Henry
as 'a slow-growing hemispherical bush that has not increased appreciably in size for many years' .
bark beetles and thus remain free of Dutch elm disease
.
and continental Europe
; it is not known in Australasia
.
Europe
However, the ancestry of 'Nana' has been disputed in more recent years, Melville
Ronald Melville
Ronald Melville was an English botanist, based at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. He is chiefly remembered for his wartime research into rosehips as a source of vitamin C, prompted by the epidemic of scurvy amongst children owing to the reduced importation of fresh fruit...
considering the specimen once grown at Kew to have been a cultivar of Ulmus × hollandica
Ulmus × hollandica
Ulmus × hollandica Mill. , often known simply as Dutch Elm, is a natural hybrid between Wych Elm Ulmus glabra and Field Elm Ulmus minor which commonly occurs across Europe wherever the ranges of the two parent species overlap. In England, according to the field-studies of R. H...
.
Description
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
was described by Henry
Augustine Henry
Augustine Henry was an Irish plantsman and sinologist. He is best known for sending over 15,000 dry specimens and seeds and 500 plant samples to Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom. By 1930, he was a recognised authority and was honoured with society membership in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Finland,...
as 'a slow-growing hemispherical bush that has not increased appreciably in size for many years' .
Pests and diseases
The low height of the tree should ensure that it avoids colonization by the ScolytusScolytus
Scolytus is a genus of bark beetles . It includes several species notorious for destroying trees in the forests. The Dutch elm disease is spread in North America by two species : the native elm bark beetle, Hylurgopinus rufipes, and the European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus...
bark beetles and thus remain free of Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
.
Cultivation
The tree is still occasionally found in arboreta and gardens in the UK, and has been introduced to North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; it is not known in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
.
Synonymy
- Ulmus glabra 'Bush': Plant Buyer's Guide, ed. 5, 253, 1949, without description.
Accessions
North America- Arnold Arboretum. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Acc. no. 448-88
Europe
- Alexandra Park, East SussexEast SussexEast Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, 6m high, 38 cm dia. at 1 m from ground in 1980; possibly now lost . - Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghThe Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Originally founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies four sites across Scotland — Edinburgh,...
. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Acc. no. 19021001, from Späth nurserySpäth nurseryThe Späth family created one of the world's most notable plant nurseries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The nursery had been founded in 1720 by Christoph Späth but removed to the erstwhile district of Baumschulenweg in south-east Berlin in 1863 when Franz Ludwig Späth succeeded his father...
, two trees in excellent condition (2004). - Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural SocietyThe Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
Gardens WisleyWisleyWisley is a small village in Surrey, England. It lies between Cobham and Woking. It is the home of the Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden. The River Wey runs through the village....
. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Two specimens, no details available. - Sir Harold Hillier GardensSir Harold Hillier GardensThe Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is an arboretum comprising 72 hectares accommodating over 42,000 trees and shrubs in about 12,000 taxa, notably a collection of oaks, camellia, magnolia and rhododendron....
, UK. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. Acc. nos. 1978.1680, 1978.4729 - University of CopenhagenUniversity of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
Botanic Gardens. Listed as U. glabra 'Nana'. No other details available.
Europe
- Arboretum Waasland http://www.arboretum-waasland.be/English.htm, Nieuwkerken-Waas, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. - PlantenTuin Esveld http://www.esveld.nl/htmldiaen/u/ulgnan.htm, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...