| Ulmus americana 'Variegata' | |
|---|---|
| Species | Ulmus americana |
| Cultivar | 'Variegata' |
| Origin | Belgium |
The so-calledAmerican ElmcultivarUlmus americana 'Variegata' was a Belgian clone mentioned byWesmael[1] inBulletin de la Fédération des sociétés d'horticulture de Belgique, 1862, asUlmus americana var.variegataHort.[2][3] It was marketed by the Baudriller nursery ofAngers asU. americana foliis variegatis.[4] Wesmael's herbarium specimens, however, held in theBotanic Garden, Meise, both of hisUlmus americana and of hisUlmus americana var.variegata, do not appear to showAmerican white elm leaves.[5][6] It is known that nurseries in Europe and America marketed the golden wych elmUlmus glabra 'Lutescens' asUlmus americana aurea,[7][8] and it is likely that Wesmael'sUlmus americana variegata was similarly misnamed, and perhaps derived from a reverting branch ofaurea, whose leaves it resembled.[6]
TheUlmus americana variegata, "American variegated elm", marketed by the Klehm nursery ofArlington Heights, Illinois, in the early 20th century, may, however, have been variegated American white elm, as the nursery was familiar with the native species.[9][10] A 2018Cornell study of the surviving elms of theNational Mall, Washington D.C., listed some 28 specimens of a "distinctive striped cultivar, possiblyU. americana ", but this referred to vertical fissuring in young bark, not to variegated leaves.[11]
Wesmael's herbarium specimen shows a young ‘Lutescens’-type leaf with mixed variegation and green. Klehm'sUlmus americana variegata had small leaves sprinkled over with white spots, the variation being described as constant.[9][3]
No specimens are known to survive.
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