The British Elm Flora

Abstract

THE view expressed by Howard in his interesting article on the elm tree¹, that there are but two species represented in the United Kingdom "with perhaps nine or more hybrids or varieties", is no longer accepted by botanists. It is true that the common or English elm and the wych elm are the most widely-spread species and both are undoubtedly native. The wych elm, the correct name for which is Ulmus glabra Huds., occurs throughout the country, but the common elm is concentrated in the south, thins out in northern England and is probably only planted in Scotland. This species is now known as U. procera Salisbury, the Linnean name U. campestris being a nomen ambiguum². Its distribution in the country is quite natural, and so far it has been recorded from the Continent only as a planted tree; the evidence strongly favours the view that it is endemic, in spite of the misgivings of earlier writers.