A little Dendrology of Due West: Early Bloomin’ Trees!
Written 2/26/25
Each spring it’s easy to notice flowers of showy trees like cherries, pears, and dogwoods. Less apparent are flowers of even earlier “bloomers” like elms, maples, and oaks.
Consider our native Winged Elm (Ulmus alata) as an example. There are several Winged Elms growing on Erskine’s campus. Notables are two very old beautiful examples growing in front of the Erskine Building. Winged Elms get a head start on spring, blooming in February.
Along the sides of young branches lateral growths of corky wood form the “wings” that give this species one of its common names. Extent of wings is variable, but they are usually prominent on young trees or younger branches on older trees. (Wings of this sort are also a feature of our Sweet Gum trees.)
Winged elm wood is particularly hard and difficult to split. Years ago, when early settlers were clearing land, they hated to come upon a stand of winged elm, and would exclaim: Psss, elms! “Psss” soon became corrupted to “piss,” and winged elms became “Piss Elms!” The very hard split-resistant wood makes it great for hockey sticks and chair rockers and arms. Possibly via Native Americans, winged elm is also known as Wahoo elm.
Blooming winged elms seem to be true harbingers of spring. You can pick them out easily now, along roadsides sandwiched in between evergreen Redcedar and various oaks at the margins of woods. When blooming, bare winter branches become dusted with a delicate rosy beige color makes them noticeable. They can be spectacular viewed against a clear cold blue sky. Elm flowers lend color to their trees despite being very small and lacking petals. They do have a light brown calyx or group of five united sepals, male stamen with anthers that are red when immature and a central female pistil covered with silvery hairs. So, botanically, these flowers are incomplete (lacking petals) but none the less perfect, because both male and female parts are present! Elm flowers are not structured to attract pollinators with scent or nectar. Their pollen, like that of oaks, ash, pecan, and redcedar, is very light and easily transported by wind. The downside of wind pollinated species is that their pollen is for some of us allergenic…..achoo! After pollination, ovaries of elm’s pistil develop into small, winged fruits called “samaras.” Fruits are green at first and have a single nutritious seed, relished by birds. After leaf buds open, young leaves and twigs are a favored food for deer. Leaves are simple, toothed, and grow alternately, one leaf per node, on the stems.
Winged elms mature to a medium sized tree of about 50 feet in height. Only occasionally do they reach 80 feet or more like the beauties in front of Erskine Building! They grow more rapidly in open space and are not very tolerant of shade or close neighboring trees.
Like other native elms, winged elms are susceptible to Dutch Elm disease caused by a fungus that is transmitted by beetles. It was introduced on lumber imported from Europe just after World War I and has been responsible for near total devastation of our American elms in many regions. Elms are also susceptible to a bacterial disease, which infects and destroys its food conducting tissue, aptly called elm phloem necrosis. Usually more common in the northern parts of elm’s range (Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri) these diseases are now affecting trees of the southeast. Mucilage from inner bark of Winged Elm is listed as a useful herbal remedy to treat cough, sore throat, and digestive problems. Another species, Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) is considered best for medicinal use.
