Trees🌿 Native to the NetherlandsVery hardy — tolerates frost down to -25°C

Wych elm

Name: Wych elm (Ulmus glabra)
Brand: HSMN Planten
SKU: 6a907516ed7e01995dbcdc9f
Price: 3.95 EUR
Availability: BackOrder

Ulmus glabra

From€3.95incl. VAT

Select a size to order

Choose a size

Wych elm (Ulmus glabra) is a native, deciduous tree originally found in moist, nutrient-rich and often lime-rich deciduous forests, slope forests, ravine forests, forest edges, and old hedges. The large leaves have a strongly asymmetrical leaf base, feel rough on the upper side, and can form three distinct points at the tips of young shoots. The nearly stalkless flowers appear in March and April before the leaves unfurl. These are followed by broad, winged samaras where the seed is located approximately in the center of the wing. The species grows into a large tree and is therefore primarily suitable for parks, estates, large yards, and landscape plantings. Wych elm is susceptible to Dutch elm disease, although individual trees can vary in their susceptibility.

Year calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
🌸Blooms
🍓Bears fruit
🍂Has autumn colour

Pruning period

Prune Wych elm only when necessary and preferably during winter dormancy. Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches and avoid large pruning wounds. Do not prune during warm months, as fresh pruning wounds can attract elm bark beetles.

Botanical profile

Site & soil

Sun, Half shade

Soil type: Clay, Sand, Loam

Moisture need: Moderately moist, Moist

pH: Slightly acidic (5.5–6.5), Neutral (6.5–7.5), Chalky (>7.5)

Nutrient richness: Moderately nutrient-rich, Nutrient-rich

Humus content: Moderately humus-rich, Humus-rich

Water drainage: Well draining, Moisture-retentive

Appearance & season

Mature height: 2000-4000cm

Bloom: Mar–Apr

Autumn colour: Yellow to yellowish-brown

Properties

Salt sensitive: No

Edible: Very young leaves and still-green, soft winged fruits are edible and have a mild, slightly nutty to mucilaginous taste. Only use correctly identified, clean plant material and do not collect from rare wild locations.

Scent: No distinctive odor. Wych elm is wind-pollinated and does not attract insects with scent or nectar.

Ecological value

Wych elm is an important host plant for specialized insects. The leaves are eaten by caterpillars of various moths, leaf miners, beetles, true bugs, aphids, and gall-forming insects. The white-letter hairstreak butterfly also depends on elms for the development of its caterpillars. The flowers are wind-pollinated and do not produce nectar, making their direct value to bees and hoverflies limited. The winged seeds can be eaten by birds and small mammals. Mature trees, with their rough bark, broad crown, tree hollows, and dead wood, provide habitat for birds, bats, beetles, mosses, lichens, and fungi.

Food web & Biodiversity

🐛 Caterpillars & mothsExtremely useful

🐝 Bees & bumblebeesUseful

🪰 HoverfliesUseful

🦋 ButterfliesExtremely useful

🪲 Beetles & insectsExtremely useful

🐦 BirdsUseful

🐿️ MammalsUseful

🐞 Other animalsUseful

Wych elm is highly valuable for caterpillars and moths because the leaves are eaten by various species. The white-letter hairstreak butterfly also uses elms as a host plant. The flowers appear early in the spring but are mainly wind-pollinated and therefore provide little direct nutritional value for bees, bumblebees, and hoverflies. The winged seeds are eaten by birds, and the large canopy provides nesting and hiding spots. Consequently, Wych elm is valuable for birds. Beetles, sawflies, aphids, gall-forming insects, and other small animals utilize leaves, shoots, bark, and seeds and are therefore strongly represented. Small mammals benefit from the seeds and shelter. Spiders, snails, soil organisms, mosses, and lichens also benefit from the rough bark, the canopy, and the leaf litter layer beneath the tree.

Distribution in the Netherlands