{"slug":"ulmus-americana","scientific_name":"Ulmus americana","common_names":["American elm","White elm"],"family":"Ulmaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":22,"mature_spread_m":15,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":200,"hardiness_zones":[3,9],"sun":"full_partial","water":"medium","soil":"Moist, fertile sand, loam, clay or limestone soils; tolerates wet and occasionally dry sites","native_range":"Eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan, south to Florida and central Texas","description":"The great vase-shaped street tree of pre-1950s America, fast-growing to 60-80 feet with arching limbs and soft yellow fall color. Dutch elm disease killed most of the old ones; disease-resistant selections such as Princeton, Valley Forge and Jefferson have brought it back. In Central Texas it grows along creeks and bottomlands and is a good shade tree where it gets enough water.","care":"Buy a Dutch-elm-disease-resistant cultivar. Water deeply and regularly the first two summers and in long droughts. Prune in winter to build strong branch structure. Watch for wilting, yellowing branches (a sign of Dutch elm disease) and for elm leaf beetles, scale and leaf miners. Avoid pruning in spring and early summer when bark beetles are active.","benefits":["shade","fast_canopy","wildlife","birds","fall_color","flood_tolerant"],"uses":["street_tree","yard_shade","parks"],"cautions":["pest_prone","large_roots"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/American_Elm_Tree%2C_Old_South_Street%2C_Northampton%2C_MA_-_October_2019.jpg","image_credit":"Marty Aligata, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM","https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ULAM","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ulmus-americana/","https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/ulmame/all.html"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/ulmus-americana","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/ulmus-americana.md","regions":[{"country":"US","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Also native across most of the eastern and central United States and southern Canada (USDA PLANTS distribution)","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"AL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"AR","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"FL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"LA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"MS","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"NC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"OK","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"SC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"TN","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULAM"},{"country":"CA","region":"AB","locality":"Calgary","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Calgary Top Tree Species for Calgary list","source_url":"https://www.calgary.ca/parks/trees/top-species-for-calgary.html"},{"country":"CA","region":"ON","locality":"Toronto","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Toronto Street Tree Planting Program brochure species list","source_url":"https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/9765-Street-Tree-Brochure.pdf"},{"country":"US","region":"CO","locality":"Denver","status":"recommended","note":"On the Denver Office of the City Forester Approved Street Tree List","source_url":"https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/747/documents/forestry/Street_tree_guide.pdf"},{"country":"US","region":"DC","locality":"Washington","status":"recommended","note":"On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list","source_url":"https://caseytrees.org/rebate"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":"Atlanta","status":"recommended","note":"On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list","source_url":"https://treesatlanta.org/resources/50-atlanta-trees/"},{"country":"US","region":"MA","locality":"Boston","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Boston Urban Forestry Division recommended public street trees list","source_url":"https://www.boston.gov/urban-forestry-division"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":"Dallas","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List","source_url":"https://dallas.gov/departments/sustainabledevelopment/buildinginspection/DCH%20documents/pdf/BI_Approved%20Tree%20List.pdf"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}