| Ulmus glabra 'Latifolia Nigricans' | |
|---|---|
| Species | Ulmus glabra |
| Cultivar | 'Latifolia Nigricans' |
| Origin | Europe |
The putativeWych ElmcultivarUlmus glabra 'Latifolia Nigricans' was first described, asUlmus campestris latifolia nigricans, byPynaert in 1879. Pynaert, however, did not specify what species he meant byU. campestris.[1] The tree was supplied by theSpäth nursery of Berlin in the late 19th century and early 20th asUlmus montana latifolia nigricans. Späth, like many of his contemporaries, usedU. montana both for Wych Elm cultivars and for those of theU. ×hollandica group.[2]
Pynaert described the tree as "very vigorous, the leaves being large and of a dark tint".[3]
No specimens are known to survive. One tree, probably supplied by theSpäth nursery of Berlin, was planted asUlmus montana latifolia nigricans in 1896 at theDominion Arboretum,Ottawa,Canada.[4] Three specimens supplied by Späth to theRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1902 asUlmus montana latifolia nigricans may survive inEdinburgh as it was the practice of the Garden to distribute trees about the city (viz. theWentworth Elm);[5] the current list of Living Accessions held in the Gardenper se does not list the plant.[6]U. latifolia nigricans, a "dark, large-leaved elm", appeared in the 1902 catalogue of the Bobbink and Atkins nursery,Rutherford, New Jersey.[7]
Two vigorous, suckering hybrid elms (presumedU. ×hollandica), in the SW corner ofInverleith Park, Edinburgh, near theRoyal Botanic Garden, with broad leaves held dark-green till early December, match descriptions of Späth'sU. montana latifolia nigricans and may be regrowth from one of the early 20th-century specimens from Berlin.[5]
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