Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens' explained

Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens'
Species:	Ulmus minor
Cultivar:	'Purpurascens'
Origin:	Europe

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens' was listed by Lavallée^[1] in Arboretum Segrezianum (1877)^[2] as U. campestris var. purpurascens (purpurea), but without description, and later by Schneider in Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde (1904).^{[3] [4]} Krüssmann^[5] in Handbuch der Laubgehölze (1962) identified it as a cultivar.^[6]

Schneider, Henry,^[7] and Green^[8] believed the cultivar 'Myrtifolia Purpurea', which was also first listed in 1877, a synonym of U minor 'Purpurascens'.

Description

The tree has small leaves approximately 25 mm long, rough above, downy beneath, tinged with purple when young, but turning dark green later.^[9] The twigs are downy. Green noted that the tree usually remains small.^{[7] [8]}

Pests and diseases

See under Ulmus minor.

Cultivation

A grafted tree at Kew Gardens labelled U. campestris var. purpurascens, planted in 1885, was 20 ft tall by 1912.^[7] (For specimens supplied by the Späth nursery as U. campestris myrtifolia purpurea, see 'Myrtifolia Purpurea'.)

Notable trees

Three trees survive in Hove, one of them the UK champion (see 'Accessions'). Until 2018 one was misidentified as the large-leaved purple elm U. × hollandica 'Purpurascens'.

Synonymy

• Ulmus myrtifolia purpurea (?): Louis de Smet http://asaweb.huh.harvard.edu:8080/databases/botanists?id=167423, (Ghent, Belgium), Catalogue 10, p. 59, 1877.

Accessions

Europe

• Brighton & Hove City Council, UK, NCCPG Elm Collection.^[10] Cottesmore St. Mary School, Hove (1 tree, National Champion, 18 m high, 51 cm d.b.h. in 1993^[11]); Brighton & Hove Prep School, Radinden Manor Rd, Hove (1 tree);^[12] Davigdor Road, Hove (1 tree).^[13]

Notes and References

1. http://kiki.huh.harvard.edu/databases/botanist_search.php?id=353 kiki.huh.harvard.edu
2. https://archive.org/stream/arboretumsegrezi00lava#page/236/mode/2up Arboretum Segrezianum 236, 1877
3. https://archive.org/stream/illustrierteshan01schnuoft#page/220/mode/2up Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde, 1:220, 1904
4. Henry (1913) gives Laubholzkunde 1894.
5. http://kiki.huh.harvard.edu/databases/botanist_search.php?id=67644 kiki.huh.harvard.edu
6. Krüssmann, Handbuch der Laubgehölze, 2: 540, 1962
7. Book: Elwes. Henry John. Henry John Elwes. Henry. Augustine. Augustine Henry. 1913. The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. 7. 1905.
8. Green . Peter Shaw . Peter Shaw Green . 1964 . Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus. Arnoldia . 24. 41–80 . 6–8 . . 16 February 2017.
9. Sheet described as U. campestris L. purpurea
10. Web site: List of plants in the collection. Brighton & Hove City Council. 23 September 2016.
11. Johnson, O. (2011). Champion Trees of Britain & Ireland, p. 168. Kew Publishing, Kew, London.
12. Web site: Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens' / Ulmus 'Myrtifolia Purpurea', Brighton & Hove Prep School, Hove . Google Maps . May 2014. 2018-05-31 .
13. Web site: Ulmus minor 'Purpurascens' / Ulmus 'Myrtifolia Purpurea', 6 Davigdor Road, Hove . Google Maps . April 2017. 2018-06-02 .