| Ulmus 'Australis' | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genus | Ulmus |
| Cultivar | 'Australis'Henry |
| Origin | Europe |
The elmcultivarUlmus 'Australis' [: southern], reputedly endemic to south-eastern France, Switzerland and Italy, is a little-known tree first described byAugustine Henry in 1913,[1] and considered by various authorities to have been a variety ofUlmus minor orUlmus × hollandica.
'Australis' is not to be confused withLoudon'sU. glabraHuds. 'Australis', a variety ofWych Elm.[2]
The tree is distinguished by its conspicuously and numerously veined oval leathery leaves measuring 2 inches (5.1 cm) to 3 inches (7.6 cm) in length by 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) to 1.75 inches (4.4 cm) in width and with a petiole up to .25 inches (0.64 cm) long.[3][1][4][5]Henry's 1912 herbarium specimen fromLa Mortola, however, has a less cuspidate,field-elm type leaf.[5]
Henry described as var.australis the oldest in the lines of elms along theCours-la-Reine inRouen, planted in 1649 by theDuc de Longueville, several of which were still alive in 1912, having attained a height of about 90 feet (27 m). He also mentioned specimens growing in botanical gardens atLe Mans andBordeaux. "Similar" elms growing as far south as Spizza (nowSutomore) inDalmatia (Montenegro) he labelled var.dalmaticaBaldacci,[1] a name, however, once used atKew forU. minor subsp.canescens.[6]
![Rouen, Le Cours la Reine, c.1900, showing the 'Australis' mentioned by Elwes & Henry.[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRouen%2c_Le_Cours_la_Reine.jpg)
AnUlmus × hollandica 'Australis' was propagated and marketed in the UK by the Hillier & Sons nursery,Winchester, Hampshire from 1970 to 1977 when production ceased; however none were ever sold.[7][8] Hilliers considered their hybrid 'Australis' synonymous with Henry'sU. minor var.italica, but Henry distinguished between the two, his var.italica having twice as many vein-pairs as his var.australis.[7]
Neither 'Australis' is known to survive in cultivation.