The hybrid elm cultivar Ulmus × hollandica 'Elegantissima' was the name given by A. R. Horwood in his Flora of Leicestershire and Rutland (1933) to an elm found in those countiesHorwood, A.R. & Noel, C.W.F, (1933). Fl. Leicestershire & Rutland: 482Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs. (1977). David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK. and in neighbouring north Northamptonshire,Clive A. Stace, 'A lost landscape', in Botanical Society British Isles (April 2013, No.123), pp.11-13 the "type" locality being around the village of Launde, Leicestershire. The tree was later identified by Melville as a natural hybrid between Wych Elm and Plot Elm. According to Melville, the hybrid occurs in the main areas of Plot Elm distribution, where it is more common than Plot Elm itself.Melville, Ronald, The Journal of Botany, London, Vol.78, August 1940 The tree is sometimes known simply as the 'Midlands Elm'.Wilkinson, G. (1978). Epitaph for the Elm, p.83. Hutchinson. Cultivars believed to be of the U. glabra × U. plotii group have been planted in collections.
The tree should not be confused with U. suberosa (: minor?) elegantissima Hort. listed by Kirchner,kiki.huh.harvard.edu in Kirchner & Petzold'skiki.huh.harvard.edu Arboretum Muscaviense (1864),Arboretum Muscaviense 556, 1864 as a synonym for U. minor 'Viminalis Variegata' (:'Marginata').
Description Bean, following Melville, says the hybrid is variable in form, combining characteristics of Wych Elm and Plot Elm.Bean, W. J. (1988) Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 8th edition, 659, Murray, London. Sheet labelled Ulmus glabra [Huds.] × Ulmus plotii, = U. × elegantissima Horwood; from West Bar St, Banbury, Oxfordshire, 1937 (Oxford University Herbarium); Sheet labelled Ulmus plotii × Ulmus glabra [Huds.], Ware, Hertfordshire, 1937 (Melville); Sheet labelled Ulmus glabra Huds. × Ulmus plotii, Caythorpe, Nottinghamshire, 1957 (Howitt)Photograph of 'Elegantissima', archive.bsbi.org.uk , p.13 The tree is said to have rather narrow leaves of leathery texture.
Pests and diseases 'Elegantissima' is susceptible to Dutch elm disease.
Cultivation Hybrids labelled U. glabra × U. plotii survived at Kew Gardens until the 1970s. In 1976 and 1980, Melville found several in Didcot, at the Power Station, and Foscot Copse. No mature specimens are known to survive, though examples have been reported in the Brighton enclave. Brighton & Hove City Council, UK, NCCPG Elm Collection. One tree at Hartington Road, Brighton, one in Valley Gardens, Brighton, one at Trinity Church, Eastbourne (conjectures). The tree is not known to have been introduced to North America. An U. glabra × U. plotii appears in the current (2022) elm-list of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Melbourne), Australia.RBGV (Melbourne) Elm list
An old Ulmus × hollandica, with pendulous habit and narrow leathery leaves recalling Horwood's 'Elegantissima' description, stands in the west-central avenue of Inverleith Park, Edinburgh (2026).
Synonymy Ulmus montana (: glabra) var. etrusca: Nicholson in Kew Hand-List Trees & Shrubs 2: 139. 1896 (?).
Putative cultivars Melville's 'Elegantissima' conjecture (wych × 'Plotii') for 'Jacqueline Hillier', found in a Birmingham garden, is not accepted by all authorities. The garden's owner told Hillier that the plant might have been introduced from outside the UK by a relative. Bonsai forms raised from it are likewise not confirmed 'Elegantissima' cultivars. 'Balder', 'Freja', 'Jacqueline Hillier', 'Loke', 'Odin', 'Tyr'.
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