Ulmus laevis var. parvifolia is a mutant variety of European White Elm found exclusively on the island of Ada Ciganlija

Ada Ciganlija

Ada Ciganlija , colloquially shortened to Ada, is a river island that has artificially been turned into a peninsula, located in the Sava River's course through central Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The name can also refer to the adjoining artificial Sava Lake and its beach...

, in the Sava at Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

, Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

.

Description

The tree is small and has a dense crown. The leaves are much smaller than those of the species, 21 - 59 mm (average 40 mm) in length × 14 - 36 mm (average 26 mm) width, and chartreuse

Chartreuse (color)

Chartreuse is a color halfway between yellow and green that was named because of its resemblance to the green color of one of the French liqueurs called green chartreuse, introduced in 1764...

 in colour. The specimen of var. parvifolia on Ada Ciganlija is very slow-growing, attaining a height of only 5.5 m in almost 60 years, with a d.b.h.

Diameter at breast height

Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements....

 of just 13 cm.

Pests and diseases

Not known, but the species has a field resistance to 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...

, through the presence of a triterpene

Triterpene

Triterpenes are terpenes consisting of six isoprene units and have the molecular formula C30H48.The pentacyclic triterpenes can be classified into lupane, oleanane or ursane groups.Animal- and plant-derived triterpenes exist, such as:*squalene...

, Alnulin, in the bark which acts as an antifeedant to the vector Scolytus

Scolytus

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...

beetles.

Cultivation

The tree is not known to have ever flowered, thus propagation is by cuttings only. The variety is not known to be in commerce in Serbia or elsewhere.