| Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens' | |
|---|---|
 'Purpurascens' foliage, Lewes, UK, 2007 | |
| Species | Ulmus minor |
| Cultivar | 'Purpurascens' |
| Origin | Europe |
TheField ElmcultivarUlmus minor 'Purpurascens' was listed byLavallée[1] inArboretum Segrezianum (1877)[2] asU. campestris var.purpurascens (purpurea), but without description, and later bySchneider inIllustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde (1904).[3][note 1]Krüssmann[4] inHandbuch der Laubgehölze (1962) identified it as a cultivar.[5]
Schneider, Henry,[6] and Green[7] believed the cultivar'Myrtifolia Purpurea', which was also first listed in 1877, a synonym ofU minor 'Purpurascens'.
The tree has small leaves approximately 25 mm long, rough above, downy beneath, tinged with purple when young, but turning dark green later.[8] The twigs are downy. Green noted that the tree usually remains small.[6][7]
See underUlmus minor.
A grafted tree atKew Gardens labelledU. campestris var.purpurascens, planted in 1885, was 20 ft tall by 1912.[6] (For specimens supplied by theSpäth nursery asU. campestris myrtifolia purpurea, see'Myrtifolia Purpurea'.)
Three trees survive inHove, one of them the UK champion (see 'Accessions'). Until 2018 one was misidentified as the large-leaved purple elmU. ×hollandica 'Purpurascens'.[9]