Ulmus rubra#Medicinal

Ulmus rubra is a medium-sized deciduous tree with a spreading head of branches,Hillier & Sons. (1990). Hillier's Manual of Trees & Shrubs, 5th ed.. David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK commonly growing to {{convert|12|-|19|m|ft|abbr=off}}, very occasionally over {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height. Its heartwood is reddish-brown. The broad oblong to obovate leaves are {{convert|10|-|20|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=off}} long, rough above but velvety below, with coarse double-serrate margins, acuminate apices and oblique bases; the petioles are {{convert|6|-|12|mm|frac=32|abbr=out}} long.Bean, W. J. (1970). Trees & Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, 8th ed., p. 656. (2nd impression 1976) John Murray, London. {{ISBN|9780719517907}} The leaves are often tinged red on emergence, turning dark green by summer and a dull yellow in autumn.[http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a926 Missouri Botanical Garden, Ulmus rubra] The perfect, apetalous, wind-pollinated flowers are produced before the leaves in early spring, usually in tight, short-stalked, clusters of 10–20. The reddish-brown fruit is an oval winged samara, orbicular to obovate, slightly notched at the top, {{convert|12|-|18|mm|frac=32|abbr=on}} long, the single, central seed coated with red-brown hairs, naked elsewhere.

File:Ulmus rubra flower buds.jpg|Downy leaf bud and flower buds of U. rubra

File:Ulmus rubra flowers.jpg|U. rubra flowers

File:Ulmus rubra seeds.jpg|U. rubra fruit

File:Ulmus rubra leaf.jpg|Asymmetrical leaf of Ulmus rubra

File:Ulmus rubra 8zz.jpg|Mature trunk bark

File:Photograph of Slippery Elm - NARA - 2127439.jpg|Slippery elm, Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota, 1923

File:Bulletin (Pennsylvania Department of Forestry), no. 11 (1901) (20313694880).jpg|Downy leaf-buds and seed area of samarae

File:Old Indian Elm at Maumee, Ohio - DPLA - 94c3734b1484eca5f274564b8202127a (page 1) (cropped).jpg|"Old Indian Elm at Maumee, O"

The species superficially resembles American elm (Ulmus americana), but is more closely related to the European wych elm (U. glabra), which has a very similar flower structure, though lacks the pubescence over the seed.Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). [http://fax.libs.uga.edu/QK488xE4/1f/trees_of_britain_and_ireland_vol_7.pdf The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland]. Vol. VII. 1862-4 (as U. fulva). Republished 2004 Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|9781108069380}} U. rubra is chiefly distinguished from American elm by its downy twigs, chestnut brown or reddish hairy buds, and slimy red inner bark.

The tree was first named as part of Ulmus americana in 1753,{{cite book |last1=J. |first1=White |title=Trees of Britain & Northern Europe |last2=D. |first2=More |publisher=Cassell, London |year=2003 |isbn=0-304-36192-5}} but identified as a separate species, U. rubra, in 1793 by Pennsylvania botanist Gotthilf Muhlenberg. The slightly later name U. fulva, published by French botanist André Michaux in 1803,Michaux, A. (1803). Flora Boreali-Americana ("The Flora of North America") is still widely used in information related to dietary supplements and alternative medicine.

The specific epithet rubra (red) alludes to the tree's reddish wood, whilst the common name 'slippery elm' alludes to the mucilaginous inner bark.

The reddish-brown heartwood lends the tree the common name 'red elm'.

The species is native to eastern North America, ranging from southeast North Dakota, east to Maine and southern Quebec, south to northernmost Florida, and west to eastern Texas, where it thrives in moist uplands, although it will also grow in dry, intermediate soils.{{Silvics|volume=2|genus=Ulmus|species=rubra|first1=John H.|last1=Cooley|first2=J. W.|last2=Van Sambeek}}

The tree is reputedly less susceptible to Dutch elm disease than other species of American elms,{{cite web | url = http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/forest/htmls/trees/U-rubra.html | title = Ulmus rubra | publisher = Illinois State Museum}} but is severely damaged by the elm leaf beetle (Xanthogaleruca luteola).{{Cite web|url=http://www.sunshinenursery.com/survey.htm|access-date=17 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719132152/http://www.sunshinenursery.com/survey.htm|title=Elm Leaf Beetle Survey|archive-date=2011-07-19}}{{unreliable source?|date=July 2012}}

File:Photograph of Red Elm Trees Browsed by Horses in Marshall, Illinois - NARA - 2129548.jpg|Red elm bark browsed by horses, Marshall, Illinois

In the central United States, native U. rubra hybridizes in the wild with the Siberian elm (U. pumila),{{cite journal |last1=Zalapa |first1=J. E. |last2=Brunet |first2=J. |last3=Guries |first3=R. P. |year=2008 |title=Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for red elm (Ulmus rubra Muhl.) and cross-species amplification with Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila L.) |url=https://naldc-legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=32701&content=PDF |journal=Molecular Ecology Resources |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=109–12 |doi=10.1111/j.1471-8286.2007.01805.x |pmid=21585729 |s2cid=7294817|url-access=subscription }}Elowsky, C. G., Jordon-Thaden, I. E., & Kaul, R. B. (2013). A morphological analysis of a hybrid swarm of native Ulmus rubra and introduced U. pumila (Ulmaceae) in southern Nebraska. Phytoneuron 2013–44: 1–23. {{ISSN|2153-733X}}. which was introduced in the early 20th century and has spread widely since, prompting conservation concerns for the genetic integrity of the former species.'Conservation status of red elm (Ulmus rubra) in the north-central United States', elm2013.ipp.cnr.it/downloads/book_of_abstracts.pdf. Cached pp. 33–35

The species has seldom been planted for ornament in its native country. It occasionally appeared in early 20th-century US nursery catalogues.[https://archive.org/details/CAT31287811/page/20 Frederick W. Kelsey, Descriptive catalogue, no. 55, N.Y., 1906] Introduced to Europe and Australasia, it has never thrived in the UK; Elwes & Henry knew of not one good specimen, and the last tree planted at Kew attained a height of only {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} in 60 years. Specimens supplied by the Späth nursery to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1902 as U. fulva{{Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |id=E00824848 }} Sheet described as U. fulva; {{Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |id=E00824847 }} Sheet described as U. fulva, RBGE specimen from Späth nursery 1902 may survive in Edinburgh as it was the practice of the Garden to distribute trees about the city (vide Wentworth Elm).{{cite book |date=1902|title=Accessions book|publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh|pages=45, 47|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Botanic_Garden_Edinburgh._(1902)._Accessions_book_pages_45,47.jpg}} A specimen at RBGE was felled c.1990. The current list of Living Accessions held in the Garden per se does not list the plant.{{cite web|title=List of Living Accessions: Ulmus|publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh|access-date=21 September 2016|url=http://elmer.rbge.org.uk/bgbase/livcol/bgbaselivcol.php?eti=Ulmus&countOnly=&cfg=bgbase%2Flivcol%2Fbgbaselivcol.cfg&acc__num=}} Several mature trees survive in Brighton (see Accessions). The tree was propagated and marketed in the UK by the Hillier & Sons nursery, Winchester, Hampshire, from 1945, with 20 sold in the period 1970 to 1976, when production ceased.Hillier & Sons (1977). Catalogue of Trees & Shrubs. Hillier, Ampfield, UK.Hillier & Sons Sales inventory 1962 to 1977 (unpublished).

U. rubra was introduced to Europe in 1830.

There are no known cultivars, though Meehan misnamed Ulmus americana 'Beebe's Weeping' as U. fulva pendula (1889) and Späth misnamed Ulmus americana 'Pendula' U. fulva (Michx.) pendula Hort. (1890). The hybrid U. rubra × U. pumila cultivar 'Lincoln' is sometimes erroneously listed as U. rubra 'Lincoln'.

U. rubra had limited success as a hybrid parent in the 1960s, resulting in the cultivars 'Coolshade', 'Fremont', 'Improved Coolshade', 'Lincoln', 'Rosehill', and probably 'Willis'.{{cite journal |last=Green |first=Peter Shaw |author-link=Peter Shaw Green |date=1964 |title=Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus |url=https://archive.org/stream/arnoldiaarno_21#page/40/mode/2up/ |journal=Arnoldia |publisher=Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University |volume=24 |pages=41–80 |access-date=16 February 2017 |number=6–8}} In later years, it was also used in the Wisconsin elm breeding program to produce 'Repura' and 'Revera'{{cite journal |last=Santamour |first=Frank S |author2=Susan E Bentz |date=May 1995 |title=Updated checklist of elm (Ulmus) cultivars for use in North America |url=http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=2673&Type=2 |journal=Journal of Arboriculture |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=122–131}} although neither is known to have been released to commerce. In Germany, the tree formed part of a complex hybrid raised by the Eisele nursery in Darmstadt, provisionally named 'Eisele H1'; patent pending (2020).{{Cite web |last=Brookes |first=Andrew |date=2020 |title=Disease resistant elm cultivars |url=http://www.hantsiow-butterflies.org.uk/downloads/Disease%20resistant%20elm%20cultivars%202020.pdf |website=Hampshire & Isle of Wight Branch Butterfly Conservation}}

File:Moose elm sections.jpg]]

The mucilaginous inner bark of the tree is edible raw or boiled,{{cite book|last=Little|first=Elbert L.|title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region|publisher=Knopf|year=1980|isbn=0-394-50760-6|location=New York|page=424}} and was eaten by Native Americans. The bark can also be used to make tea.{{Cite book|last=Angier|first=Bradford|url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetoedib00angi/page/206/mode/2up|title=Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants|publisher=Stackpole Books|year=1974|isbn=0-8117-0616-8|location=Harrisburg, PA|pages=206|oclc=799792|author-link=Bradford Angier}}

The species has various traditional medicinal uses. The inner bark has long been used as a demulcent, and is still produced commercially for this purpose in the United States with approval for sale as an over-the-counter demulcent by the US Food and Drug Administration.{{cite book|title=Herbs and Natural Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide|last=Braun|first=Lesley|author2=Cohen, Marc |year=2006 |publisher=Churchill Livingstone |isbn=978-0-7295-3796-4 |page=586|edition=2nd}}, quote:

Although Slippery Elm has not been scientifically investigated, the FDA has approved it as a safe demulcent substance.

The timber is not of much importance commercially, and is not found anywhere in great quantity. Macoun considered it more durable than that of the other elms,Macoun, J. M. (1900). The Forest Wealth of Canada, p. 24. Canadian Commission for the Paris International Exhibition 1900. and better suited for railway ties, fence-posts, and rails, while Pinchot recommended planting it in the Mississippi valley, as it grows fast in youth, and could be utilized for fence-posts when quite young, since the sapwood, if thoroughly dried, is quite as durable as the heartwood.Pinchot, G. (1907). U S Forest Circular, no.85. The wood is also used for the hubs of wagon wheels, as it is very shock resistant owing to the interlocking grain.{{cite book|last=Werthner|first=William B.|title=Some American Trees: An intimate study of native Ohio trees|year=1935|publisher=The Macmillan Company|location=New York|pages=xviii + 398}} The wood, as 'red elm', is sometimes used to make bows for archery. The yoke of the Liberty Bell, a symbol of the independence of the United States, was made from slippery elm.{{Cite web |title=The Liberty Bell |publisher=National Park Service |url=http://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/upload/english.pdf |access-date=August 11, 2010 |archive-date=November 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130163656/http://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/upload/english.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Though now outmoded, slippery elm tablets were chewed by spitball pitchers to enhance the effectiveness of the saliva applied to make the pitched baseball curve. Gaylord Perry wrote about how he used slippery elm tablets in his 1974 autobiography, Me and the Spitter.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/09/archives/gaylord-perrys-confession-dave-anderson-tutored-by-bob-shaw-brown.html |title=Gaylord Perry's Confession|first=Dave |last=Anderson |work=The New York Times |date=August 9, 1973 |accessdate=July 15, 2022}}

The tree's fibrous inner bark produces a strong and durable fiber that can be spun into thread, twine, or rope useful for bowstrings, ropes, jewellery, clothing, snowshoe bindings, woven mats, and even some musical instruments.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} Once cured, the wood is also excellent for starting fires with the bow-drill method, as it grinds into a very fine flammable powder under friction.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

A tree in Westmount, Quebec, Canada, measured {{Convert|4.27|m|abbr=on|frac=2}} in girth in 2011.[http://www.floraurbana.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/ulmus-rubra.html Ulmus rubra, Cedar Crescent, Westmount, Quebec][http://www.arbresmontreal.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/lorme-rouge-ou-lindian-elm-de-la-rue.html 'L'Orme Rouge ou l'Indian Elm de la rue Cedar Crescent'] The US national champion, measuring {{Convert|7.16|m|abbr=on|frac=2}} in circumference and {{Convert|27.4|m|frac=2}} tall, with an average crown spread of {{Convert|25.18|m|frac=2}} wide, grows in Kentucky.{{Cite web |title=Slippery Elm – KY |url=https://www.americanforests.org/tree/slippery-elm-ky/ |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=American Forests |language=en-US}} Another tall specimen grows in the Bronx, New York City, at 710 West 246th Street, measuring {{convert|31|m|ft|abbr=on}} high in 2002.Barnard, E. S. (2002) New York City Trees. New York: Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|0-231-12835-5}}

• Arnold Arboretum, US. Acc. nos. 737–88 (unrecorded provenance), 172-2017 (Massachusetts), 344-2017 (Missouri).
• Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest [https://web.archive.org/web/20071123143516/http://bernheim.org/species_lists.htm], Clermont, Kentucky, US. No details available.
• Brenton Arboretum, Dallas Center, Iowa, US. No details available.
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois, US. 1 tree, no other details available.
• Dominion Arboretum, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. No acc. details available.
• Longwood Gardens, US. Acc. no. L–3002, of unrecorded provenance.
• Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, US. No details available.
• Smith College, US. Acc. no. 8119PA.
• U S National Arboretum [http://www.usna.usda.gov/index.htm]{{dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}, Washington, D.C., US. Acc. no. 77501.

• Brighton & Hove City Council, UK. NCCPG Elm Collection.{{cite web|title=List of plants in the {elm} collection|publisher=Brighton & Hove City Council|access-date=23 September 2016|url=http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/list-plants-collection}} Carden Park, Hollingdean (1 tree); Malthouse Car Park, Kemp Town (1 tree).
• Grange Farm Arboretum, Sutton St James, Spalding, Lincolnshire, UK. Acc. no. 522
• Hortus Botanicus Nationalis, Salaspils, Latvia. Acc. nos. 18168, 18169, 18170.
• Linnaean Gardens of Uppsala, Sweden. Acc. no. 2009–0223. Wild collected in US.
• Royal Botanic Gardens Wakehurst Place, UK. Acc. no. 1973–21050.
• Thenford House arboretum, Northamptonshire, UK. No details available.
• University of Copenhagen Botanic Garden, Denmark. No details available.
• Wijdemeren city council, The Netherlands. One tree planted gardens Rading 1, Loosdrecht.

• Eastwoodhill Arboretum [https://web.archive.org/web/20080311122431/http://www.eastwoodhill.org.nz/gardens--collection/collection.aspx?Type=&G=Ulmus], Gisborne, New Zealand. 1 tree, no details available.

{{Commons category|Ulmus rubra|
Ulmus rubra|position=right}}{{Americana Poster|Elm, Slippery|Ulmus rubra}}

• {{PLANTS |symbol=ulru |taxon=Ulmus rubra}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20041114034031/http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/plantdisp.xsql?taxon=1032 Dr. Duke's Databases: List of Chemicals in Ulmus rubra]
• [http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/slipperyelm Ohio DNR.gov: Slippery Elm]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060910150503/http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/ulru.htm Bioimages.vanderbilt.edu: Ulmus rubra photo gallery]
• [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501329 U. rubra, Flora of North America, www.efloras.org]

{{Elm species, varieties, hybrids, hybrid cultivars and species cultivars |state=collapsed}}

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rubra

Category:Trees of Northern America

Category:Flora of the Appalachian Mountains

Category:Demulcents

Category:Medicinal plants of North America

Category:Ulmus articles with images

Category:Elm species and varieties

Category:Taxa named by Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg