Siberian Elm
Scientific Name:
Ulmus pumila
Type:
Tree
Habitat:
Forests, deserts, and a variety of human-made areas
Range:
Native to East and Central Asia; cultivated or invasive worldwide
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
INVASIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Siberian elms are deciduous trees that usually grow between 50 and 70 feet tall. Their oblong leaves are between 1 and 3 inches long and they have green flowers and light gray-brown bark. The fruit of Siberian elms ripen in April and May.
Fast Facts:
Siberian elms are native to eastern and central Asia. In the United States, Siberian elms are an invasive species which can tolerate poor soil conditions, drought, extreme cold, and high salinity.
These trees have high germination rates and grow rapidly. They are resistant to Dutch elm disease and are known to crossbreed with native slippery elms. For these reasons, it is illegal to plant in the city of Reno.
Siberian elm trees have many edible parts. Their unripened seeds are edible and their inner bark can be dried and ground to a powder to thicken soup. Beyond that, both sauce and wine have been made out of their immature fruit.
Sources:
Morton Arboretum, Siberian elm (not recommended), 2021, https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/siberian-elm-not-recommended
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2006, https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ulpu.pdf
North Dakota State University, Siberian Elm, 2021, https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/trees/handbook/th-3-117.pdf
United States Department of Agriculture, Field Guide for Managing Siberian Elm in the Southwest, 2014, https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5410128.pdf
IUCN Red List, Siberian Elm, 2018, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61967372/61967374
Image: Melburnian, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ulmus_pumila_leaves.jpg, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Bridget Mulkerin (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)