# Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila)

> 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.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/ulmus-pumila · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Asiatic elm, Dwarf elm
- Family: Ulmaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, loses its leaves in winter
- Mature height: 18 m; spread 13 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 60 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 9
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low water
- 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.

**Benefits:** Fast canopy, Drought tolerant, Windbreak

**Good for:** Windbreak

**Watch out for:** Invasive elsewhere, Weak wood, Short lived, Pest prone, Heavy litter

## 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.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** China (Native to northern China, Mongolia, Siberia, Central Asia and Korea.)
- **Adapted:** United States (Naturalized in nearly every state; widely planted historically in Plains and Mountain West shelterbelts.)
- **Invasive:** NM, United States (Class C noxious weed on the New Mexico Noxious Weed List (widespread; management decided locally).); PA, United States (On Pennsylvania DCNR's invasive plant fact sheet list.); VA, United States (Virginia DCR Invasive Plant Species List, Low invasiveness rank.)
- **Prohibited:** WI, United States (Restricted under Wisconsin NR 40 (except hybrids and rootstock): transport, transfer and introduction require a permit.)
- **Recommended:** Dallas, TX, United States (On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List)

## 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