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Ulmus americana, photographed by an iNaturalist contributor
(c) William Van Hemessen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by William Van Hemessen · CC BY-NC
#5 most planted

Ulmus americana

American elm · also White elm, Water elm, Swamp elm

BroadleafDeciduous
284,694
trees mapped
2.8%
of all named trees
31
cities
8.7 in
median trunk (22 cm, 280,975 measured)

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The American Elm is a stately tree with a broad, arching canopy, deeply furrowed grayish-brown bark, and leaves that turn yellow in the fall. Native to eastern North America, it was historically popular as a street tree due to its urban tolerance, though its populations were severely impacted by Dutch elm disease. It is a versatile species, thriving in various soil conditions and providing ample shade.

Where it grows

Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.

  1. Edmonton · Canada
    94,22812 yr8.3 in
  2. Calgary · Canada
    72,080—6.7 in
  3. Winnipeg · Canada
    41,692—18 in
  4. Quebec City · Canada
    14,729—9.1 in
  5. Washington, DC · United States
    9,37511 yr15 in
  6. New York City · United States
    9,211—12 in
  7. Toronto · Canada
    8,579—3.1 in
  8. Ottawa · Canada
    7,654—7.1 in
  9. Lethbridge · Canada
    5,49919 yr20 in
  10. Denver · United States
    5,000—27 in
  11. Halifax · Canada
    4,094—15 in
  12. Montreal · Canada
    3,6405.3 yr3.9 in
  13. Vancouver · Canada
    2,569—25 in
  14. Boston · United States
    2,29210 yr6.0 in
  15. Longueuil · Canada
    1,254—6.3 in
  16. Los Angeles · United States
    62629 yr21 in
  17. Mississauga · Canada
    604—8.7 in
  18. Kingston · Canada
    588—7.9 in
  19. San Francisco · United States
    273—12 in
  20. Burlington · United States
    25812 yr6.0 in
  21. Moncton · Canada
    1698.2 yr3.9 in
  22. Burlington, ON · Canada
    154—6.7 in
  23. New Westminster · Canada
    365.8 yr6.3 in
  24. Victoria · Canada
    34—15 in
  25. London · United Kingdom
    30—3.1 in
  26. Ajax · Canada
    13—2.0 in
  27. Paris · France
    6——
  28. Berlin · Germany
    2—4.4 in
  29. Helsinki · Finland
    2—2.0 in
  30. Kelowna · Canada
    2—16 in
  31. Amsterdam · Netherlands
    1——

Traits

Form
Broadleaf
Foliage
Deciduous
Mature height
50–60 ft
Canopy spread
50–100 ft
Lifespan
200 years
Water needs
Moderate
Pollution tolerance
High
Wildlife value
High
Blooms
Jan, Feb, Dec

Trunk diameters across every city: median 8.7 in, mean 12 in, 90th percentile 27 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.

Other Ulmus in the catalogue

28 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.

Interested in talking trees? arborary.world@gmail.comTree data © the respective municipal publishers and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).