{"slug":"ulmus-pumila","scientific_name":"Ulmus pumila","common_names":["Siberian elm","Asiatic elm","Dwarf elm"],"family":"Ulmaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":18,"mature_spread_m":13,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":60,"hardiness_zones":[4,9],"sun":"full","water":"low","soil":"Clay, loam, sand or rocky soil with good drainage; tolerates drought, poor soil and alkalinity, not wet ground","native_range":"Native to Central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia, northern China and Korea.","description":"A fast, scrappy, vase-shaped elm with small doubly serrated leaves, early-spring flowers and papery seeds that blow everywhere and sprout in every crack. It was planted across the Plains and Mountain West for shelterbelts after the Dust Bowl because it survives drought and cold, but it is brittle, short-lived, drops branches in storms, is riddled with elm leaf beetle and seeds aggressively into riverbanks and rangeland. Wisconsin restricts it and New Mexico lists it as a Class C noxious weed; it is often confused with the much better Chinese (lacebark) elm.","care":"Not recommended for planting. Existing trees: prune out deadwood regularly, expect elm leaf beetle, cankers, wetwood and storm breakage, and remove seedlings before they establish. Resistant hybrid elms are better shelterbelt choices.","benefits":["fast_canopy","drought_tolerant","windbreak"],"uses":["windbreak"],"cautions":["invasive_elsewhere","weak_wood","short_lived","pest_prone","heavy_litter"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/2014-04-26_18_46_30_View_of_Siberian_Elms_along_South_9th_Street_in_Elko%2C_Nevada.JPG","image_credit":"Famartin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ulmus-pumila/","https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULPU","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_pumila","https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/RegulatedSpecies","https://nmdeptag.nmsu.edu/media/pdf/noxious-weed-memo-and-list-june-2020.pdf","https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/dcnr/conservation/wild-plants/invasive-plants/invasive-plant-fact-sheets.html","https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/document/nh-invasive-plant-list-2024.pdf"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/ulmus-pumila","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/ulmus-pumila.md","regions":[{"country":"CN","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native to northern China, Mongolia, Siberia, Central Asia and Korea.","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_pumila"},{"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"},{"country":"US","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Naturalized in nearly every state; widely planted historically in Plains and Mountain West shelterbelts.","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ULPU"},{"country":"US","region":"NM","locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"Class C noxious weed on the New Mexico Noxious Weed List (widespread; management decided locally).","source_url":"https://nmdeptag.nmsu.edu/media/pdf/noxious-weed-memo-and-list-june-2020.pdf"},{"country":"US","region":"PA","locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"On Pennsylvania DCNR's invasive plant fact sheet list.","source_url":"https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/dcnr/conservation/wild-plants/invasive-plants/invasive-plant-fact-sheets.html"},{"country":"US","region":"VA","locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"Virginia DCR Invasive Plant Species List, Low invasiveness rank.","source_url":"https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/document/nh-invasive-plant-list-2024.pdf"},{"country":"US","region":"WI","locality":null,"status":"prohibited","note":"Restricted under Wisconsin NR 40 (except hybrids and rootstock): transport, transfer and introduction require a permit.","source_url":"https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/RegulatedSpecies"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}