| Ulmus minor 'Goodyeri' | |
|---|---|
 Goodyer Elm, Rockford, c. 1960 | |
| Species | Ulmus minor |
| Cultivar | 'Goodyeri' |
| Origin | Pennington, England |
TheField ElmcultivarUlmus minor 'Goodyeri', commonly known as 'Goodyer's Elm', was discovered byJohn Goodyer in 1624 atPennington near the Hampshire coast betweenLymington andChristchurch.[1][2]No old specimens are known to survive, but the tree is perpetuated by numerous root suckers, notably in the lanes about theAlice Lisle public house in theNew Forest hamlet ofRockford.[3] The tree has suffered misidentification in the centuries since its discovery, firstly byPhilip Miller in his 'Gardeners' Dictionary' of 1731,[4] and later in the early 20th century byAugustine Henry andMarcus Woodward, who both confused the tree withPlot Elm, whose centre of distribution is in theEast Midlands, some 200 miles away and of completely different appearance.[5][6]
Augustin Ley prepared a herbarium specimen from Goodyer's Elm (without using that name) near Lymington in 1882, calling the trees justUlmus glabraMill..[7]Melville rediscovered Goodyer's Elm in 1937, publishing an account of it in 1938 and describing it as a form ofCornish Elm.[1][8]
The tree is chiefly distinguished by its short bole and low, spreading branches, quite unlike any other British elm. In other respects, notably its small leaves <3 cm long by 1.5 cm wide, the tree is very similar to Cornish ElmUlmus minor 'Stricta'.[10][1][11][12]
Goodyer's Elm is very susceptible toDutch elm disease.
The tree is not known to be in cultivation in the UK, with the exceptions of two specimens introduced to arboreta 2012–16 (see 'Accessions'), nor is it known to have been introduced to continental Europe, North America or Australasia.
A small but sexually mature tree survives beneath an oak near the Alice Lisle public house at Rockford, its trunk severely arched by its search for light.[13]