Chenmou Elm, Langya Mountain Elm
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Upright-oval to upright-rounded habit, growing 25-55' tall & almost as wide if growing conditions are good. On poor sites, only gets 20-25' tall & wide. Medium to fast growth rate.

Native Range

Native to eastern China, where it grows on the Langya Mountains at elevations below 650'.

Flower and Fruit Details

The perfect, wind-pollinated flowers are cymes, but have no petals. They are produced in March-April. The thin, flat, papery, obovate samaras are up to 0.9" long, ripening to gray-tan color w/ a brown seed bulging in the center in April/May. Songbirds, waterfowl & upland ground birds eat the fruits.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Leaves are alternate, simple, obovate to oblong. 3-7" long, w/ doubly serrated leaf margins, acuminate at the tip, Leaves often become covered w/ a thick pubescence, giving them a gray-green coloration. Leaves usually have 8-16 vein pairs, and an uneven, oblique leaf base. Petiole is hairy, 1/2" long. Branchlets pubescent when young, not winged, w/out a corky layer. Flaky, brownish-gray, exfoliating bark on trunk & older branches. Gray outer bark in vertical strips, w/ orange-brown inner bark exposed as trunk enlarges.

Culture and Care

Not very drought tolerant until well established. Has survived -15 degrees F in N Kentucky. Zone 5. Highly resistant to Dutch Elm Disease & Elm Leaf Beetles, but can still occasionally get Elm Yellows disease. Few pests.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

3-season interest: Spring, summer & fall. Named for Mr. Chen Mou, Chinese dendrologist. Listed as an "ENDANGERED" threatened species worldwide on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Dr. George Ware has grown and evaluated this plant at the Morton Arboretum in Illinois.

Suggested Uses

Good lawn or park tree, or in a garden or rare or endangered plants.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA