The elm Ulmus wallichiana subsp. xanthoderma was identified by Melville and Heybroek after the latter's expedition to the Himalaya in 1960.Melville, R. & Heybroek, H. (1971). Elms of the Himalaya. Kew Bulletin, Vol. 26 (1). Kew, London. The tree is of more western distribution than subsp. wallichiana, ranging from Afghanistan to Kashmir.Bean, W. J. (1970). Trees & Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, 8th ed., (2nd impression 1976) John Murray, London.
Description A deciduous tree growing to 30 m with a crown comprising several ascending branches. The bark of the trunk is pale grey, coarsely furrowed longitudinally. The branchlets become orange- or yellow-brown, glandular at first, not hairy. The leaves range from 5.6–14 cm long by 3–7.5 cm broad, elliptic-acuminate in shape, U. wallichiana subsp. xanthoderma, leaves specimen (Melville & Heybroek); Baba Reshi, Gulmarg, Kashmir, India (1960); ; ; and with a glabrous upper surface, on petioles 7–10 mm long. The inflorescence is slightly glandular, almost glabrous. The samarae are orbicular to obovate, with a few glandular hairs; the seed central.
Pests and diseases The tree has a high resistance to the fungus Ophiostoma himal-ulmi endemic to the Himalaya and the cause of Dutch elm disease there.
Cultivation There are a few trees planted in England and The Netherlands.U. wallichiana subsp. xanthoderma (clone P296) in the Dorschkamp, Wageningen, Gelderland, the Netherlands, 2024 monumentaltrees.comBark of U. wallichiana subsp. xanthoderma (clone P296) in the Dorschkamp, Wageningen, Gelderland, the Netherlands, 2024 monumentaltrees.com M. Tijdgat, 'Ulmus – Gebruikswaarde- en sortimentsonderzoek in de praktijk', Dendroflora 56, 2020. p.86; edepot.wur.nl It is not known in North America or Australasia.
Accessions Europe
Grange Farm Arboretum, Lincolnshire, UK. Acc. no. 643 (Heybroek's clone P296).
Wijdemeren City Council Elm Arboretum, 1 tree planted Brilhoek, Nederhorst den Berg 2019, tree number: 112793
References