Slippery Elm

Ben Ferguson

Slippery Elm

Slippery Elm, Ulmus rubra Muhl., is sometimes called red elm, gray elm, and soft elm.

Slippery Elm

Kingdom – Plantae (Plants)Subkingdom – Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)Superdivision – Spermatophyta (Seed plants)Division – Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)Class – Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)Subclass – Hamamelididae Order – UrticalesFamily – Ulmaceae (Elm family)Genus – Ulmus L. (Elm)Species – Ulmus rubra Muhl. (Slippery elm)

Classification

Slippery Elms are medium-sized trees and grow moderately fast. It can reach up to 80 ft tall and has a crown that is broadly rounded or sometimes flat-topped.

Shape, Form, Type

Figure 1

The bark is reddish-brown to gray in color. The bark also has shallow furrows. The inner bark also becomes slippery when it is chewed.

Bark

Figure 2

The twigs are reddish-brown in color. They are stout with short, gray hairs. The leaf scars alternate and they are half-round with three bundle traces.

Twig

Figure 3

The buds of the slippery elm are nearly round with hairs that are rusty in color and they are ¼ in in diameter.

Bud

Figure 4

The leaves are simple and they alternate. They are oval to elliptic, are asymmetrical at the base and are pointed at the tip of the blade. They can get up to 7 in in length and are about half as wide. They are doubly toothed. The surface is green and rough with the bottom being smooth and hairy. The leafstalks are stout and hairy being ½ in in length.

Leaf

Figure 5

The flowers grow together in drooping clusters. They appear before the leaves unfold and are greenish, have hair, and are small.

Flower

Figure 6

The fruit are circular and they are winged fruits that are up to ¾ of an inch in diameter. The only hair that appears, appears over the seed. There is only one wing per seed.

Fruit

Figure 7

Slippery elms can be found in Main, New York, southern Quebec and Ontario, Michigan, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and Georgia.

Habitat and Range

Figure 8

Slippery Elm can be used for medicinal purposes. It is also used for furniture and construction. Can also be used for firewood.

Uses

http://articles.herballegacy.com/slippery-elm-iii-applications-of-slippery-elm/ Figure 1 Retrieved 6/24/10

http://www.pureextracts.us/images/products/SLIPPERY_ELMBARK_4.jpg Figure 2 Retrieved 6/24/10

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/18/trees/imagetrees/elm_slpry_twg_sm.jpg Figure 3 Retrieved 6/24/10

http://www.forestryimages.org/images/768x512/0008492.jpg Figure 4 Retrieved 6/24/10

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/u/ulru--lf11038.htm Figure 5 Retrieved 6/24/10

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/u/ulru--fl17959.htm Figure 6 Retrieved 6/24/10

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/ulru.htm#Fruit Figure 7 Retrieved 6/24/10

http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/ulmus/rubra.jpg Figure 8 Retrieved 6/24/10

References Images

http://articles.herballegacy.com/slippery-elm-iii-applications-of-slippery-elm/

Retrieved 6/24/10http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/ulmus/rubra.htm

Retrieved 6/24/10Mohlenbrock, R. H. Forest trees of illinois.

Retrieved 6/24/10http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ULRU

Retrieved 6/24/10

References Information