The seeds don't look right to me. More likely red elm. Hopefully, there are pictures. I am not a computer whiz, grin First picture is red elm leaf

white elm seeds, aka, american elm

red elm seeds. I don't know much about rock elm or eastern hemisphere elms, so can't post pictures.

Posted by jocelynpei 5/6 (My Page) on Tue, May 21, 13 at 5:58

Thank you so much. Are American red elms more disease resistant than American white elms? Who has the largest individual leafs?

Red elm has a bigger leaf, and it's sand papery on top, quite rough. If you look close, the veins in the leaves fork into two ends in lots of them on red elms, but only a few veins fork on the white elms. Red elm is slightly more resistant to dutch elm disease, but more suseptable to elm leaf beetles. White elm and american elm are the same thing, but red elm is another kind. I have both in my yard and woods, so side by side, the red has coarser branches and they are more erect, less drooping at the ends. Tthe twigs on red elms are thicker too, but you need the two side by side to easily see that. We are not at full leaf yet, so I can't post pictures of american elm leaves yet. Want some pictures when they leaf?

Posted by jocelynpei 5/6 (My Page) on Tue, May 21, 13 at 10:25

Based on your pictures of the seeds, the elm is likely a red elm. Yes, I would like to see the pictures of white elms.

I also would like to learn how you germinate and grow them.

Also, do people like red elm better or white elm better?

Here are the pictures of the red elm -

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This post was edited by jujujojo on Tue, May 21, 13 at 18:08

Red elm is very common around here - The most common climax forest type is beech-maple-elm, with red elm being the most prolific.

Red elm is also known as Slippery elm, due to the mucilaginous inner bark. It was a popular medicinal, used for teas and lozenges to alleviate sore throats.

osted by jimbobfeeny 5a IN (My Page) on Tue, May 21, 13 at 19:23

How interesting! Can you tell me:

(1) how you germinate and grow them, and

(2) do people like red elm better or white elm better?

Here is a blooming white/american elm. From way down on the ground, there is a light green haze up in the branches. Red elm has some of the flower bits coloured red, so there is a red haze way up there when blooming. Hang on, picture to follow.

Posted by jocelynpei 5/6 (My Page) on Wed, May 22, 13 at 10:57

Your picture might be taken too early. Please wait until they leaf out ... take you time =)

Here is a close up of red elm flowers. Growing either is really easy. gather up some seeds, smooth out the soil in a pot or outdoors and scatter the seeds. Sprinkle about a half inch or so of soil or sand over them and wait. really enthusiastic seedlots start to sprout in less than a week. Some stragglers keep coming up at odd intervals over the next two months. Some seedlots send up more seedlings the next spring, after a cold period, some don't. This means don't be too fast the "weed" them that second spring, as the weeds may actually be more elms. You can grow them in a flower pot or your garden for year or so till they are bigger and you will notice them in time before you lawn mower them. If you get lucky and get a whole bunch of seeds one year, you can air dry them and pop them in a mason jar and put them in the fridge...they are good for about 2 years that way. If you think that might be not long enoug, or you REALLY got a lot of seeds, drop the mason jar in the freezer instead. they are good in the freezer for at least 15 years.

The American Elm is typcially considered the better tree, larger, excellent structure, and vase-shaped. It has been decimated by DED and is not planted much anymore due to that. Red Elm is somewhat resistant and therefore is probably a better bet to plant.

Posted by scotjute z8a Tx (My Page) on Thu, May 23, 13 at 13:19

Do you have many white elms in Texas?

I heard the red elms have larger leaves than the white elms. They are about the same height but the red elms are more up-right.

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As mentioned earlier the Red Elm leaves have a rough, sand papery feel to them. Also the flowers of RE are nearly sessile.
OTOH American Elm has smooth leaves with flowers long pediceled, over 6mm in length.
RE seedlings may have some use in reforestation and as conservation plantings. I never see it called for as an ornamental.
The DED tolerant selections of AM have been much discussed here and are being produced and used. These are grown only from cuttings.

Before the leaves even come out, you can tell the two of them apart by the colour of the flowers from a distance. Red elms have a red haze of bloom when you are not too close. White elm (american elm) have a pale green haze of bloom. Also, red elm blooms a week or two before whites. Re the resistant ones, yes, if you can only have few trees or even one in your yard, get one grown from cuttings. it will exactly copy the original. if you have a large woodlot and want to introgress resistance genes, plant seeds from some of the resistant ones and let nature cross them up. Also, resistance is showing up in local older trees, but finding them is the issue.

jujujojo, we have a scattering of American Elm growing along creek and river beds here. There has been no significant die-off of them due to DED. They were always scattered due to the heat/dryness of the area. Don't know if they are resistant or if the area is too hot and dry and the trees to scattered for DED to get going. Surprised no one has taken seeds from them and tried up north for resistance check.

We have an abundance of Cedar Elm along the creeks and river beds and scattered in other dryer places. This tree could have been named the Texas Elm. Its leaves are very small.

Posted by sam_md z7 MD (My Page) on Thu, May 23, 13 at 17:26

Sam, you should consider selling both the story and the red and white elms to the Chinese. Trust me, they will love them =)

IMHO, from a long-term perspective, propagating disease-resistant individual by cloning does not contribute to the over-all health of the American Elm population.

This post was edited by jujujojo on Sat, May 25, 13 at 11:32

Posted by scotjute z8a Tx (My Page) on Fri, May 24, 13 at 10:38

Is your region where the painted buntings breed?

Yes.

Now, I am told that there is possibly an American elm in the pictures. In photo number six from top of this thread, you see a trunk. This tree is quite different from the Red Elm. The Red Elm has branches up and down with many large leaves and seeds low hanging. The other tree has no branches accessible to me. All its branches and leaves are high up near the top of the tree. I am told, that is possibly an American elm. Although the leaves are too far away to see any details. There are some seeds falling around but I thought they are of poor quality and I chose the more colorful red elm's seeds ...

can you get pictures of the seeds?

Okay, here are some pictures of these Elms. Exactly 2 large trees. They are really old and considered large. But I do not consider them that interesting because the branches with leaves are all very high up. The trunks look old. They drop (perhaps with the help of squirrels) these seeds and small branches at this time all over the place. I took some pictures that were missing from last year. Can you tell if these are red elms?

The seed pods look smaller than the red elm's from last year. The seed pods also have hairs.

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The seeds where the wing part is almost round, as broad as it is long, appear to be red elms. Some of the smaller seeds could be reds too, but cast before their time, before completed developement. Not sure about all of them. Some might be whites, the ones where the seed wing is longer than wide could be whites. Perhaps someone can add to this, as I'm not sure and can't say it's definately this one or that one. Of the trees growing in my yard, the white elms have bark sort of like expanded metal, with the ridges linked. The reds are more like cordroy cloth, with the bark ridges parallel.

here is a link for you, of a known red elm trunk

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/u/ulru--brlarge11336.htm