Derivations. The word Ulmus is supposed to be derived from the Saxon elm, or ulm; a name which is applied, with very light alterations, to the Ulmus campestris, in all the dialects of the Celtic tongue. Ulm is still one of the German names for his tree; and the city of Ulm is said to have derived its name from the great number of elms that are growing near it.

Generic Characters. Flowers, in most species, protruded earlier than the shoots and leaves of the year; disposed in groups, each group lateral, and proceeding from a bud peculiar to it; the flowers of the group situated each upon a peduncle, or each upon a pedicel, and disposed a few together upon short peduncles, or situated in both modes; and sometimes they are disposed in racemes, composed of several clusters of 2 to 4 together, extending to a considerable length, and furnished with 1 or 2 small, though perfect leaves, before the opening of the terminal buds. Flowers bisexual, or a few of them male; both kinds upon one plant. Calyx reddish, distinct from the ovary, top-shaped, or bell-shaped, of one piece, but having 4-8 segments, which are imbricate in æstivation; remaining until the fruit falls. Stamens as many as the segments; inserted into the lower part of the calyx, oppositely to the segments, and prominent beyond them. Anthers opening lengthwise, outwardly or inwardly. Ovary elliptic-oblong, compressed, cloven at the summit, having 2 cells, and a pendulous ovule in each. Style very short, or there is none. Stigmas 2, acuminate, villous on the inner face.. Fruit a samara, and this compressed, more or less round or oval, and having the wing-like part membranous, broad, and present all round, except in a notch, the base of which is the place of the attachment of the stig mas. Seed 1, in a samara, pendulous; in many instances it is not perfected. Embryo unattended by albumen, straight, its radicle uppermost. Flowers small. Leaves alternate, in 2 ranks, featherveined; in most, unequal at the base, annual, serrate, and harsh to the touch. Stipules oblong, deciduous. Leaves within the bud folded lengthwise, in 2 portions, upright, with scales between leaf and leaf.-Adapted, from Nees Von Esenbeck and others.

HE genus Ulmus embraces deciduous trees, often of great size and age, with rugged or corky bark, hard wood, twiggy branches, and growing wild in Europe, Africa, North America, India, and China. The roots of young plants, in some of the species, are of a leathery toughness, very strong, of considerable length and suppleness. The more common, and perhaps all the kinds increase rapidly in the number and the size of their roots and branches. All have strong, uprightgrowing trunks; but these vary, in several kinds, in their diameters and lengths. The disposition of the branches, relatively to the trunk and to the head which they constitute, also varies exceedingly; and considerable difference of character prevails in the spray. Although the character of the foliage is nearly the same in all the kinds, it varies in time of leafing and falling; and, in its size, colour, and form. The flowers, in most of the species, are protruded before the leaves, and are disposed in small groups, which give a knotted appearance to the leafless branches, before they are fully developed; but which, afterwards, from their colour, and their being supported on peduncles, look like little tufts of fringe. The trees are generally of easy culture, rapid growth, and will thrive in almost any soil that is not too moist, or excessively dry and barren.

The species of this genus have a remarkable aptitude to vary from seeds; much so, that it is extremely difficult to determine which are species and which

are varieties; or even to what species the varieties belong. Mr. Loudon was of an opinion that there are only two kinds truly distinct; namely, Ulmus campestris, and montana. The Ulmus americana he would consider as allied to U. campestris, from an assertion made by Mr. Masters, of Canterbury, in England, who has paid great attention to this genus, and has raised many sorts, both from American and European seeds. He assured him that the American species is identical, or apparently so, with what is called the "Huntingdon Elm," (U. montana vegeta, of Lindley,) a variety raised at Huntingdon, from seeds gathered from trees in that neighbourhood, about a century ago. To us, it appears more probable that the Ulmus montana belongs to U. campestris, and that Ulmus americana, and most, if not all, other American elms, form a distinct species; their variations being caused by the difference of soil and climate, or by hybridation. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, and convenience of classification, as in the genera tilia, fraxinus, &c., we have brought the elms all under two heads; namely, Ulmus campestris, and americana, and have considered the kinds, which are usually treated as species by botanists, only as varieties. Those, however, who differ from us in opinion, will find no difficulty in recognizing among our synonymes, the names as given by Willdenow, Michaux, Loudon, and others, and will be enabled to know under what heads they are described in the works cf these author's.

Derivations. The specific name campestris is derived from the Latin campus, a field; having reference to this tree as grow ing in open fields and in hedges. Most of the European names have the same signification as the botanical one.

Engravings. Michaux, North American Sylva, pl. 129; Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum, iii., fig. 1238 et 1239 and vii., pl 230 et seq.; Selby, British Forest Trees, pp. 104, 105 et 106; and the figures below.

Specific Characters. Leaves doubly serrated, rough. Flowers nearly sessile, 4-cleft. deeply cloven, glabrous.-Smith, English Flora.

Description.

"Fruitful in leaves the Elm."

VIRGIL.

Samara oblong,

HE Ulmus campestris is of a tall, upright habit of growth, with a straight trunk, four or five feet in diameter, when fully grown, and attaining a height of from sixty to seventy feet, or upwards. The branches, which are rather slender, are densely clothed with small, deep-green leaves, somewhat shining on the upper surface, though rough to the touch. The leaves are broad in the middle, and contracted toward the ends; being, like those of most other kinds of elm, unequal at the base,

and doubly dentated, and having a strongly-marked midrib, with other lateral ribs, equally prominent, proceeding from it, on each side. They unfold at Naples, in Italy, by the first of February; at Paris, in March; in England by the middle of April; and at New York early in May. They fall at Paris, and at New York, in the beginning of November, and three or four weeks later in England; but in Naples they often remain upon the trees until the end of the year. The flowers, which put forth just before the leaves, vary in colour from a dullpurple to a dark-red; and are succeeded by oblong, deeply-cloven samaræ, containing each a seed, that ripens in a month after the appearance of the leaves.

Varieties. The varieties of this species are very numerous, both in Britain and on the continent; and most of them have been selected by nurserymen from their seed-beds. As remarked at the commencement of this genus, from the

ones.

aptitude of the different kinds of elm to vary from seeds, there is, in truth, no ce.. tainty as to what are species and what varieties. On this subject, M. Baudrillart observes, in the "Dictionnaire des Eaux et Forêts," that, "Any one who has ever observed a bed of seedling elms, must have noticed that some have large leaves, and some small ones; some are early, and some late; some have smooth bark, and some that which is rough; and some soft leaves and others very rough Some varieties are higher than others. The branches take now a vertical and again a horizontal direction. In short, while botanists describe, and cultivators sow, they will find that nature sports with their labours, and seems to delight in setting at fault alike the science of the one and the hopes of the other. This is always the case with plants that have long been submitted to the cultivation of man. The cares that are bestowed upon them, the different situations in which they are placed, and the different kinds of treatment which they receive, appear to change their native habits." The quality and size of the timber of the several varieties differ as much as the size of the leaves and the habit of their growth. For instance, the timber of the Ulmus c. viminalis is of but little value, from the slenderness of the trunk; while, in other varieties, the trees are subject to decay at the joints of the branches, their bark splits into long, thin strips, and the interior of their trunk decays. We shall first notice the principal varieties of the common English elm, which are found in British nurseries; and next, the kinds most nearly allied to them, and which are usually treated, by botanists, as species.

1. U. c. VULGARIS, Loudon. Common Field Elm. This variety, when grown in an open space, is very twiggy, with a smooth, pale bark, and is sometimes of an irregular growth, with almost horizontal branches. In some soils it is very subject to decay at the joints. The bark, which is lead-coloured, while young, splits into long, thin strips with age. A bad variety to cultivate for timber.

2. U. C. LATIFOLIA, Loudon. Broad-leaved Field Elm, with broader leaves than the species, which expand early in the spring.

3. U. c. ALBA, Loudon. Whitish-barked Field Elm. The growth of this variety is upright; the old bark cracks in long irregular pieces, and becomes very pale with age. The bark of the shoots, as are the foot-stalks of the leaves is tinged with red. The leaves, which are shining, and doubly and deeply serrated, bear a very near resemblance to those of the Ulmus c. effusa. This variety forms a valuable timber tree.

4. U. C. ACUTIFOLIA, Loudon. Acute-leaved Field Elm. The growth of this tree, during its early stages, very nearly resembles that of the last-named variety, but is stronger. The leaves, in old specimens, are more tapering, and the branches more pendulous. Also a good timber tree.

5. U. C. STRICTA, Loudon. Upright-growing Field Elm or English Red Elm. This variety is of a very rigid growth, and forms one of the most valuable timber trees of the small-leaved kinds. The poles are of equal diameter throughout.

6. U. c. VIRENS, Loudon. Sub-evergreen Field Elm or Kidbrook Elm. This variety is almost evergreen in a mild winter; and, as such, it is the most ornamental tree of the genus. The bark is red, and the tree is of a spreading habit. This, like the last-mentioned kind, grows well upon chalky soils; but it is not to be depended upon as a timber tree, because, in some autumns, the shoots are killed by frost.

7. U. C. CORNUBIENSIS, Loudon. Cornish Field Elm, an upright-branched tree, with small, strongly veined coriaceous leaves. The branches are bright-brown, smooth, rigid, erect, and very compact. It attains a very great height, with a somewhat narrow head; and in the climate of London, it is a week or two later in coming into leaf than the species. Dr. Lindley mentions a sub-variety, with

smaller leaves, which he calls U. stricta parvifolia; and Messrs. Loddiges, two others, under the names of U. stricta aspera, and U. stricta crispa.

8. Ú. C. SARNIENSIS, Loudon. Jersey Field Elm, a free-growing variety, differing but very little from the species.

9. U. C. TORTUOSA, Loudon. Twisted-wooded Field Elm; Orme tortillard, of the French. This variety, which is very distinct, frequently comes true from seeds. Its leaves are of a very deep-green, and about a medium size. The trunk is marked with alternate knots and hollows; and the fibres of the wood are all twisted and interlaced together. This tree presents a very singular appearance when it becomes old, as a number of knots (bosses) appear to surround its trunk. It produces but few seeds, and some years not any. It is considered, in France, as the best of all the varieties of elm for the use of wheelwrights; and particularly for the hubs of wheels. On the road from Paris to Meaux, there are to be seen a great number of these trees.

10. U. C. FOLIIS VARIEGATIS, Loudon. Variegated-leaved Field Elm; Silver-leaved Elm, having leaves striped with white, and, in spring, is very ornamental.

11. U. C. BETULEFOLIA, Loudon. Birch-leaved Field Elm, with leaves somewhat resembling those of the Betula alba.

12. U. C. VIMINALIS, Loudon. Twiggy-branched Field Elm, having small leaves, and numerous slender twig-like branches. It is a very distinct and elegant variety, and is easily recognized both in summer and in winter. In some stages of its growth, its foliage is frequently mistaken for a variety of birch. It is quite useless for timber, but forms an ornamental tree, with a character of its own.

13. U. C. PARVIFOLIA, Loudon. Small-leaved Field Elm; Ulmus parvifolia, of Jacquin, Willdenow, and others; a tree, according to Pallas, who mentions several varieties of it, very common in all the woods of the south of Russia, and varying in height from that of a middle-sized tree to that of a diminutive shrub, according to the soil and climate in which it grows. It is very plentiful about Caucasus; and, in passing through Siberia, it gradually becomes less multiplied; but occurs again about Lake Baikal, where the inhabitants use the leaves as a substitute for tea. The wood of this variety, when it assumes a tree-like form, is said to be very hard and tough; and is veined with transverse lines. The root is also beautifully variegated, and is used by the turner and cabinet-maker. One of the sub-varieties, mentioned by Pallas, has the bark somewhat fungous or corky; another has the branches slender, wand-like, and of a whitish-gray colour. In rocky, mountainous surfaces, the branches are thick and short; but, in sandy soils, the trees are all small, with slender shoots. 14. U. C. PLANIFOLIA, Loudon. Plane-leaved Field Elm, a handsome, small tree, closely resembling the last-named variety.

15. U. C. CHINENSIS, Loudon. Chinese Field Elm; Orme nain, Thé de l'Abbé Gallois, of the French. This variety forms a low bush, introduced into Britain from China, but when is uncertain. "Notwithstanding," says Mr. Loudon, "the circumstance of its being kept in green-houses in some cases, and retaining its leaves there through the winter, we cannot consider it as anything else than a variety of U. campestris. We are confirmed in this opinion by Mr. Main, who brought home some plants of this sort from China, and found them to stand the rigour of our winters in the garden of his friend, the Rev. Mr. Norris, of Grove street, Hackney. We believe it to be the same sort which is sometimes imported from China, in the form of a miniature old tree, planted in a China vase. While retained in these vases, and sparingly supplied with nourishment, it maintains its stunted figure; but planted out in a free soil, in a favourable situation, in a year or two, it will make shoots five or six feet long, as may be seen in the garden of the London Horticultural Society. The manner in which the Chinese procure these miniature trees is, by ringing the extremities of the branches of old trees, and