| Ulmus minor 'Virgata' | |
|---|---|
| Species | Ulmus minor |
| Cultivar | 'Virgata' |
| Origin | Nangis, Seine et Marne, France |
TheField ElmcultivarUlmus minor 'Virgata' (:'twiggy') was first described, asUlmus campestris virgata, byPepin[1] inRevue Horticole (1865) from a stand of some thirty trees beside a monastery atGrand-Puits[2] nearNangis,Seine-et-Marne, said to have been planted by the friars in 1789 and propagated in 1835 by Cochet's nursery atGrisy-Suisnes.[3][4] Pepin noted that in France 'Virgata' was sometimes confused with another, less vigorous elm cultivated as 'Orme pyramidal'[5] (possibly the Baudriller nursery's'Pyramidata'Hort.[6]).
Not to be confused withUlmus virgataRoxburgh (Ulmus parvifoliaJacq.) orUlmus virgataWallich. ex. Planch. (Ulmus chumliaMelville & Heybroek).
Pepin described the tree as vigorous, with short, slender, erect branches bestowing a fastigiate form. The oval pointed dark green leaves turn pale yellow in autumn and are retained late. Pepin likened the tree to cypress, Lombardy poplar and fastigiate oak.[3]
Though susceptible toDutch Elm Disease,field elms produce suckers and usually survive in this form in their area of origin.
In addition to the original cultivation by Cochet's of Grisy-Suisnes, Pepin himself, who described and admired the tree, planted lines of it from 1858 and recommended it for avenues. He propagated it by base-grafting.[3]
No specimens are known to survive. In 2022 Brighton and Hove City Council listed an old twiggy elm (felled 2024) in Surrenden Road, Brighton, with up-sweeeping branches,[7] by this name, without provenance information, though 'Virgata' is not known to have been introduced to the UK and though no herbarium specimens are known.[8][9] Its seed central in thesamara, and its short petioles, suggest that the Brighton tree was a form ofUlmus × hollandica.
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