The elm cultivar Ulmus Densa was described from specimens growing near Ashkabad as U. densa Litv. in Schedae ad Herbarium Florae Rossicae (1908).Schedae ad Herbarium Florae Rossicae, VI. 163-165 (1908) Litvinov, reporting it growing wild in the mountains of Turkestan, Ferghana, and Aksu, as well as in cultivation, considered it a species, a view upheld by the Soviet publications Trees and Shrubs in the USSR (1951) and Flora of Armenia (1962), and by some current plant lists.The Plant List: Ulmus densa Litv., accessdate: December 14, 2016Tropicos: Name - Ulmus densa Litv., accessdate: December 14, 2016Ulmus densa was one of two elm "species" determined by Litvinov; the second, his Ulmus celtidea, has not been accepted by other authorities (Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, vol.19, 1938; p.264). Other authorities take it to be a form of U minor, distinctive only in its dense crown and upright branching.Plantarium: Ulmus densa - Галерея субтаксонов - Плантариум (in Russian), accessdate: December 18, 2016 The Moscow State University herbarium gives (2020) Ulmus minor as the "accepted name" of U. densa Litv..Moscow State University herbarium, Specimen MW0591858, plant.depo.msu.ruMoscow State University herbarium, Specimen MW0591857, plant.depo.msu.ru
Litvinov considered U. minor 'Umbraculifera', with its "denser crown and more rounded form", a cultivar of U. densa, calling it U. densa var. bubyriana. Rehder (1949) and Green (1964), ignoring reports of the wild form, considered U. densa a synonym of 'Umbraculifera'. The U. densa photographed by Meyer in Aksu, Chinese Turkestan on his 1911-12 expedition does not appear to be the tidy grafted cultivar 'Umbraculifera' and was said to be named 'Seda'.Meyer's photograph (5675) of Ulmus densa Turkestan . Aksu, Turkestan. February 1911Meyer's photograph (5676) of Ulmus densa Turkestan . Aksu, Turkestan. February 1911 Zielińksi in Flora Iranica (1979) considered 'Umbraculifera' an U. minor cultivar.J. Zielińksi, 'Ulmaceae', Flora Iranica, ed. K. H. Rechinger (Graz, 1979)
In its natural range U. densa overlaps with U. pumila. The extent of hybridization between the two is not known.
Description Litvinov noted that the tree "differed little from U. glabra Mill." [:U. minor]Specimen MW0591858 "Moscow State University herbarium" Sheet labelled "type specimen", U. densa; samarae and new leaves (1896) except in its erect branches and dense oblong crown.Photograph captioned U. densa, uses.plantnet-project.org The leaves were "generally smaller" Sheet labelled Ulmus densa Litv.; USSR, 1955; Sheet labelled Ulmus densa Litv.; specimen from Kazvin, Iran (1948); Sheet labelled Ulmus densa Litv.; specimen from Iraq (1957); Sheet labelled Ulmus densa Litv.; samara specimen from Isfahan, Iran (1948); (top left-hand specimen) Field elm leaves from Kurrum valley, Afghanistan (1879) and the branches "smooth and lighter in colour". As with the hybrid U. × androssowii, its compact branch structure helps the tree conserve moisture.World Digital Library: Elm Trees. Samarkand, accessdate: December 18, 2016
Pests and diseases Not known.
Cultivation Litvinov said that U. densa was "widely cultivated" in gardens in Turkestan. It is one of a number of elms known locally as 'karagach' or 'karagatch' [:'black tree' = elm].Rickmers, W. Rickmer, The Duab of Turkestan, a physiographic sketch and account of some travels (Cambridge, 1913), p.172Lansdell, Henry, Through Central Asia (London, 1887), p.464Voeikov, Aleksandr Ivanovich, Le Turkestan Russe (Paris, 1914), p.68 In western Europe U. densa Litv. was distributed by Hesse's Nurseries, Weener, Germany, in the 1930s.
Notable trees
A large, well-grown specimen stands in Dushanbe Botanic Gardens, Tajikistan (2019).U. minor / Ulmus densa Litv. www.plantarium.ruGoogle Maps: Dushanbe Botanic Gardens - Google Maps (May 2019), accessdate: August 21, 2019
Cultivars These include one of the oldest of elm cultivars, 'Umbraculifera', and a number of elms introduced to the West by the Späth nursery of Berlin. U. minor 'Umbraculifera', (?) U. minor 'Rueppellii', (?) U. 'Globosa', (?) U. 'Koopmannii'
Meyer (1912) identified three cultivars of U. densa: 'Stamboul', 'Kitaisky' and 'Seda'.Meyer, F. N. (1912). Seeds and plants imported during the period from January 1 to March 31, 1912: Inventory No.30, Nos 32829–32831. Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 282. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1913.
Hybrid cultivars The tree, or its cultivar form 'Umbraculifera', has hybridised with U. pumila to produce U. × androssowii.
Accessions None known.
Notes
References
External links efloras.org: U. densa Litv. illustrations (figures 10 to 14) Photographs labelled U. densa on Plant Photo Bank of China, ppbc.iplant