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Tree · Ulmaceae Draft — unreviewed

Lacebark elm

Ulmus parvifolia Jacq.

Also called lacebark elm, Chinese elm.

Tough, fine-textured shade tree with exfoliating, mottled bark. Resistant to Dutch elm disease and tolerant of heat, drought, alkaline soil and compaction.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 12–15 m (39–49 ft) tall and 10–14 m (33–46 ft) wide; fast growth, about 15 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the BB-2in install size.

051015mPlanting3.4 × 1.5 mYear 310.9 × 9.3 mYear 1013.4 × 11.9 mMature13.5 × 12.0 m

Design notes

  • Not the same as Siberian elm (U. pumila), which is weedy and brittle — check labels.
  • Holds leaves late; nearly evergreen in the low desert and Gulf Coast.

Regions

Native range: China, Korea and Japan.

Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Japanese maple
Acer palmatum · Tree · 4–8 m (13–26 ft)
Red maple
Acer rubrum · Tree · 12–18 m (39–59 ft)
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum · Tree · 15–22 m (49–72 ft)
Downy serviceberry
Amelanchier arborea · Tree · 5–8 m (16–26 ft)
River birch
Betula nigra · Tree · 12–18 m (39–59 ft)
American hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana · Tree · 6–9 m (20–30 ft)

Plan with Lacebark elm

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden