Details for: Ames 34208, Ulmus thomasii Sarg., NAO/UT/2018/23/48


Summary Data
Taxonomy:
Ulmus thomasii Sarg.
Top Name:
NAO/UT/2018/23/48
Origin:
Collected – Illinois, United States
Received by NPGS:
31 May 2018
Improvement Status:
Wild material
Reproductive Uniformity:

Population
Form Received:
Seed
Life Cycle:
Perennial
Life Habit:
Tree
Availability
FormQuantityNoteInventoryCart
Cutting5 countAmes 34208 18ncaim51 PL
Cutting5 countAmes 34208 18ncaim52 PL
Cutting5 countAmes 34208 18ncaim53 PL
Seed25 countAmes 34208 18ncao02 SD
Note: When you select cuttings, you will receive unrooted cuttings, not rooted plants, unless specific arrangements have been made with the curator.
  
Images (15 total. Click on image for more.)

LEAF

Core Passport Data
Taxonomy:
Ulmus thomasii Sarg.
Top Name:
NAO/UT/2018/23/48
Origin:
Collected – Illinois, United States
Received by NPGS:
31 May 2018
Improvement Status:
Wild material
Reproductive Uniformity:

Population
Form Received:
Seed
Life Cycle:
Perennial
Life Habit:
Tree
Source History
Collected
31 May 2018.
Kendall County, Illinois, United States
Locality: Private property located 2.0 miles northeast of Plano along Big Rock Creek just off Needham Road, T37N R6E SW 1/4 NE 1/4 Sec. 14
Coordinates: 41.6854, -88.5137 (Map it)
Elevation: 188m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Flat open (mowed) areas and edge of woods.
Number of plants sampled: 3
Associated species: Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus alba, Tilia americana, Carya spp., Ulmus americana, Ulmus rubra, Juglans nigra, Asimina triloba, Fraxinus quadraqulata, Acer saccharum, Gymocladus dioicus
Comment: Localized population. Three specimens sampled within quarter section. Coordinates for accession refer to specimen #1. Coordinates for other mother trees may be provided upon request.
Collector(s):
Donated
31 May 2018.
Illinois, United States

Donor(s):
Accession Names and Identifiers
NAO/UT/2018/23/48
Type: Collector identifier
Ouellette, Nickolis USDA, ARS

Ames 34208
Type: Site identifier
Group: AMES
NC-7 Research Numbers

48-1
Type: Other or unclassified name
Single mother tree measuring 14.75 and 16.25 (double trunked) inches d.b.h. and 60 feet in height.
Ouellette, Nickolis USDA, ARS

48-2
Type: Other or unclassified name
Single mother tree measuring 13.75 inches d.b.h. and 45 feet in height.
Ouellette, Nickolis USDA, ARS

48-4
Type: Other or unclassified name
Single mother tree measuring 10.25 inches d.b.h. and 35 feet in height.
Ouellette, Nickolis USDA, ARS

Narrative
Ulmus thomasii (Rock elm) is an underutilized tree species both in conservation and in the urban landscape. Charles Sprague Sargent (first director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA) described the wood of Rock Elm as "heavy, hard, very strong and tough, closely grained, and susceptible of receiving a beautiful polish". Historically noted for a variety of uses in woodworking including furniture, heavy agricultural implements, timber frame buildings, pianos, hockey sticks, and hand tools. U. thomasii is extremely drought tolerant, adaptable to very calcareous soils, and compared to U. americana or U. rubra has a very conservative growth rate requiring minimal attention in regards to pruning. Rock elm naturally tends to develop into a nice structural specimen in the landscape, unlike other fast growing U. americana cultivars in the nursery trade needing frequent attention. Rock elm has very fissured bark and is well known for maintaining a strong central leader resulting in a very attractive, pyramidal form. Despite many literature sources stating that "wings" on the stems are a key identifiying characteristic, this trait is not reliable and many genotypes may completely lack "wings" on the stems. While growth habit and morphology of dormant buds (very pointy) are good traits to help aid in identification, fruits are the best way to confirm identity. Fruits are densly pubescent, often described as "inflated" and generally reach maturity a couple weeks after U. rubra and U. americana. U. thomasii inflorescences are rather distinguishable from other Ulmus in being pendulous. Fruits are extremely prized treats for many birds, where fruits are often "robbed" prior to full maturity. Fruits are also highly prized by many other animals such as mice, squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, etc. and are generally consumed within hours after fruit abscission. The native range of U. thomasii is concentrated in the northeastern United States and into Canada with disjunct populations documented in northwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas (Little, E. L. Jr. 1971). In the 1895 Silva of North America (vol. 7) it was stated that, “The value of the wood of the Rock Elm threatens its extinction and most of the large trees have already been cut.” Today, since rock elm is rather rare, especially in areas near the edges of its range, many states list the species as endangered or threatened warranting preservation efforts. Genetics of this accession were collected on private property in north central Illinois (Kendall County) from a localized population in nature represented by 10-16" DBH specimens with little to no signs of decline.
Ulmus thomasii Sarg.
Genus:
Ulmus
Subgenus:
Oreoptelea
Section:
Trichoptelea
Family:
Ulmaceae
Nomen number:

101705
Place of publication:

Silva 14:102. 1902 "thomasi"
Verified:
05/06/2009 by ARS Systematic Botanists.
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Ulmus racemosa D. Thomas

Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishcork elm  1Voss, E. 1972-. Michigan flora.
Englishrock elm  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Frenchorme de Thomas  2FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
GermanFelsenulme  2Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage
Swedishklippalm  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Annotations
Other Links
Actions
Pathogens
Vouchers
Herbarium specimen
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at ILLS - Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois Department of Natural Resources - Champaign, IL. Identifier: Ames 34208 ** (Tree #3). Inventory sample: Ames 34208.
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at NA - United States National Arboretum, USDA/ARS. Identifier: Ames 34208 ** (Tree #3). Inventory sample: Ames 34208.
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at ILLS - Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois Department of Natural Resources - Champaign, IL. Identifier: NAO/UT/2018/23/48-1. Inventory sample: Ames 34208 18ncao01. Voucher for original seed collection.
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at NA - United States National Arboretum, USDA/ARS. Identifier: NAO/UT/2018/23/48-1. Inventory sample: Ames 34208 18ncao01. Voucher for original seed collection.
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at ILLS - Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois Department of Natural Resources - Champaign, IL. Identifier: NAO/UT/2018/23/48-2. Inventory sample: Ames 34208 18ncao02. Voucher for original seed collection.
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at NA - United States National Arboretum, USDA/ARS. Identifier: NAO/UT/2018/23/48-2. Inventory sample: Ames 34208 18ncao02. Voucher for original seed collection.
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at ILLS - Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois Department of Natural Resources - Champaign, IL. Identifier: NAO/UT/2018/23/48-4. Inventory sample: Ames 34208 18ncao03. Voucher for original seed collection.
  • Ouellette, Nickolis, USDA, ARS. 31 May 2018. Located at NA - United States National Arboretum, USDA/ARS. Identifier: NAO/UT/2018/23/48-4. Inventory sample: Ames 34208 18ncao03. Voucher for original seed collection.
Citations
  • Miller, F. & G. Ware. 2022. Relative resistance of Ulmaceae for host susceptibility, feeding preference, and suitability for the adult beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). J. Environm. Hort. 40(2):46-66. DOI: 10.24266/2573-5586-40.2.46. Note: Reference to U. thomasii and not specifically to Ames 34208. Results of no-choice feeding bioassays determined adult Japanese beetles feeding on North American elms of U. alata and U. americana removed nearly twice as much leaf tissue in comparison to U. thomasii (Table 2). Collectively, for the 45 other Ulmus taxa or cultivars tested, only 10 had less feeding than U. thomasii (Table 2). Percent field defoliation survey results (Table 4) coincided with no-choice laboratory tests. No-choice fecundity bioassays (Table 7) concluded that very few (1) Japanese beetle eggs were laid on U. thomasii. Number of accessions cited: 3
Pedigree

Observations

Phenotype Data

CategoryDescriptorDescriptionValueSample SizeStudyInventoryAvailability
MORPHOLOGYSEED LENGTHLength of seed (samara) in milimeters, including the membranous wing.19.836150WOODY-ORNAMENTALS.ULMUS.SEEDSAmes 34208 18ncao01 SDNot Available
MORPHOLOGYSEED LENGTHLength of seed (samara) in milimeters, including the membranous wing.21.658150WOODY-ORNAMENTALS.ULMUS.SEEDSAmes 34208 18ncao02 SD
MORPHOLOGYSEED LENGTHLength of seed (samara) in milimeters, including the membranous wing.21.763650WOODY-ORNAMENTALS.ULMUS.SEEDSAmes 34208 18ncao03 SDNot Available
MORPHOLOGYSEED WIDTHWidth of seed (samara) in millimeters, including the membranous wing.12.853850WOODY-ORNAMENTALS.ULMUS.SEEDSAmes 34208 18ncao02 SD
MORPHOLOGYSEED WIDTHWidth of seed (samara) in millimeters, including the membranous wing.13.000550WOODY-ORNAMENTALS.ULMUS.SEEDSAmes 34208 18ncao01 SDNot Available
MORPHOLOGYSEED WIDTHWidth of seed (samara) in millimeters, including the membranous wing.13.663750WOODY-ORNAMENTALS.ULMUS.SEEDSAmes 34208 18ncao03 SDNot Available