We depend on donations from users of our database of over 8000 edible and useful plants to keep making it available free of charge and to further extend and improve it. In recent months donations are down, and we are spending more than we receive. Please give what you can to keep PFAF properly funded. More >>>

Follow Us:

 

Ulmus davidiana - Planch.

Common Name Japanese Elm
Family Ulmaceae
USDA hardiness 4-8
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Slopes, wetlands near streams and valleys at elevations of 2000 - 2300 metres[266].
Range E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (1 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Ulmus davidiana Japanese Elm


Ulmus davidiana Japanese Elm

 

Translate this page:

Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of lolypop
Ulmus davidiana is a deciduous Tree growing to 15 m (49ft 3in).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from May to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Habitats

Woodland Garden Canopy;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit  Inner bark  Leaves
Edible Uses:

Leaves - raw or cooked[105, 177]. Young fruits - cooked[105, 177]. Inner bark - dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in soups or added to cereal flours when making bread etc[105, 177].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

Now available: PLANTS FOR YOUR FOOD FOREST: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens.

An important new book from PFAF. It focuses on the attributes of plants suitable for food forests, what each can contribute to a food forest ecosystem, including carbon sequestration, and the kinds of foods they yield. The book suggests that community and small-scale food forests can provide a real alternative to intensive industrialised agriculture, and help to combat the many inter-related environmental crises that threaten the very future of life on Earth.

Read More

FOOD FOREST PLANTS

Other Uses

Fibre  Wood

A fibre is obtained from the inner bark[189]. The bark is soaked for 7 - 10 days in water, the inner and outer barks are then separated and the inner bark is stripped into strands and made into thread by chewing it. It is made into a coarse fabric[189]. Wood - heavy, difficult to work. Used for axles, hubs etc[46, 61].

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Prefers a fertile soil in full sun[188], but it is easily grown in any soil of at least moderate quality so long as it is well drained[1]. This species is resistant to 'Dutch elm disease', a disease that has destroyed the greater part of all the elm trees growing in Britain. The disease is spread by means of beetles. There is no effective cure (1992) for the problem, but most E. Asian, though not Himalayan, species are resistant (though not immune) to the disease so the potential exists to use these resistant species to develop new resistant hybrids with the native species[200]. The various species of this genus hybridize freely with each other and pollen is easily saved, so even those species with different flowering times can be hybridized[200]. Closely related to U. japonica[200].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees, and Woodland Gardening. Our new book to be released soon is Edible Shrubs.

Shop Now

Propagation

Seed - if sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates within a few days[200]. Stored seed does not germinate so well and should be sown in early spring[200]. The seed can also be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it dries on the tree) and sown immediately in a cold frame. It should germinate very quickly and will produce a larger plant by the end of the growing season[80]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Plants should not be allowed to grow for more than two years in a nursery bed since they form a tap root and will then move badly. Layering of suckers or coppiced shoots[200].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Plant Search

Search over 900 plants ideal for food forests and permaculture gardens. Filter to search native plants to your area. The plants selected are the plants in our book 'Plants For Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens, as well as plants chosen for our forthcoming related books for Tropical/Hot Wet Climates and Mediterranean/Hot Dry Climates. Native Plant Search

Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Ulmus alataWinged ElmTree15.0 6-9 FLMHSNM202
Ulmus americanaAmerican Elm, Gray Elm, Water ElmTree25.0 3-9 MLMHSNM223
Ulmus glabraWych Elm, Table-top Scotch Elm, Scotch ElmTree30.0 5-7 FLMHSNM322
Ulmus japonicaJapanese ElmTree35.0 4-8  LMHSNM211
Ulmus laciniata Tree10.0 4-8  LMHSNM20 
Ulmus macrocarpa Tree10.0 4-8  LMHSNDM211
Ulmus parvifoliaChinese Elm, Lacebark ElmTree18.0 5-10 MLMHSNM212
Ulmus proceraEnglish ElmTree35.0 5-9 FLMHSNM323
Ulmus pumilaSiberian Elm, Hybrid elmTree15.0 4-9 FLMHSNDM223
Ulmus rubraSlippery ElmTree20.0 3-7 MLMHSNM253
Ulmus thomasiiRock ElmTree30.0 - SLMHSNM102
Ulmus villosaCherry Bark ElmTree25.0 4-8  LMHSNM102
Ulmus wallichiana Tree35.0 5-9  LMHSNM113

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Print Friendly and PDF

Expert comment

Author

Planch.

Botanical References

11200266

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

   Wed Apr 21 17:42:21 2004

Trees or shrubs, to 15 m tall, d.b.h. to 30 cm, deciduous. Bark longitudinally fissured. Branchlets pubescent when young, glabrescent or ± pubescent, sometimes with irregularly longitudinally fissured corky layer. Winter buds ovoid; bud scales partly pubescent. Petiole 5-10(-17) mm, pubescent; leaf blade obovate to obovate-elliptic, 4-9(-10) × 1.5-4(-5.5) cm, abaxially densely pubescent when young but glabrescent with tufted hairs only in axil of veins, adaxially sparsely hirsute when young but glabrescent, base oblique, margin doubly serrate, apex caudate-acuminate to acuminate; secondary veins 12-22 on each side of midvein. Inflorescences fascicled cymes on second year branchlets. Perianth glabrous, 4-lobed. Samaras tan, obovate to ± obovate, 1-1.9 × 0.7-1.4 cm; stalk pubescent, ca. 2 mm; wings usually glabrous. Seed toward apex and in center of samara.

Slopes, wetlands near streams, valleys; below 2300 m. Anhui, Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, E Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Zhejiang [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia (Far East, E Siberia)].

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Ulmus davidiana  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.