EXCEPT FOR SCATTERED counties in the Ozarks, slippery elm is found in almost every county in the state. Like American elm, slippery elm is a water-loving tree and grows best on moist, rich soils on lowers slopes, stream banks, river terraces and bottomlands.
The leaf is alternate, simple, with a coarsely double saw-toothed edge. It ranges from five to seven inches long and two to three inches wide. It is egg-shaped with the broadest part above the middle and the base slightly uneven. The tip is drawn out to a long, narrow point. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and very rough while the under-surface is lighter and hairy. This rough leaf distinguishes it from the American elm which has a smooth leaf.
The fruit occurs in clusters and each seed and stem is 3/4 inch long. A single seed is surrounded by a thin, papery wing, smooth around the edge. It is common to see small drifts of elm seeds along sidewalks in metropolitan areas after a heavy rain.
Twigs are slender to moderately stout. They are gray and very rough to the touch. The buds are egg-shaped, pointed and covered with dark chestnut-brown hairs. The bark on older trees is reddish-brown. It is furrowed with platy or scaly ridges and the inner bark contains a sticky sap once used as a medicine by Indians and pioneers.
Like American elm, the seeds, buds, and leaves of slippery elm furnish food for the gray and fox squirrel and deer.The wood of slippery elm is heavy, tough, and strong. Of all the elms, it has the best and most durable lumber. It is used in the manufacture of furniture and for many other uses. Because of intertwined fibers, it is hard to split with an axe. Unprotected piles of lumber will twist and warp.
Growing along with slippery elm may be American elm, black cherry, white ash, blue ash, black walnut, bitternut hickory, bur oak, basswood, silver maple, and white oak. This elm is also susceptible to Dutch elm disease and many leaf-chewing insects.
The leaf is alternate, simple, with a coarsely double saw-toothed edge. It ranges from five to seven inches long and two to three inches wide. It is egg-shaped with the broadest part above the middle and the base slightly uneven. The tip is drawn out to a long, narrow point. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and very rough while the under-surface is lighter and hairy. This rough leaf distinguishes it from the American elm which has a smooth leaf.
The fruit occurs in clusters and each seed and stem is 3/4 inch long. A single seed is surrounded by a thin, papery wing, smooth around the edge. It is common to see small drifts of elm seeds along sidewalks in metropolitan areas after a heavy rain.
Twigs are slender to moderately stout. They are gray and very rough to the touch. The buds are egg-shaped, pointed and covered with dark chestnut-brown hairs. The bark on older trees is reddish-brown. It is furrowed with platy or scaly ridges and the inner bark contains a sticky sap once used as a medicine by Indians and pioneers.
Like American elm, the seeds, buds, and leaves of slippery elm furnish food for the gray and fox squirrel and deer.The wood of slippery elm is heavy, tough, and strong. Of all the elms, it has the best and most durable lumber. It is used in the manufacture of furniture and for many other uses. Because of intertwined fibers, it is hard to split with an axe. Unprotected piles of lumber will twist and warp.
Growing along with slippery elm may be American elm, black cherry, white ash, blue ash, black walnut, bitternut hickory, bur oak, basswood, silver maple, and white oak. This elm is also susceptible to Dutch elm disease and many leaf-chewing insects.
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