Mountain elm

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Mountain elm
Mountain elm (Ulmus glabra), illustration

Mountain elm ( Ulmus glabra ), illustration

Systematics
Eurosiden I
Order : Rose-like (rosales)
Family : Elm family (Ulmaceae)
Subfamily : Ulmoideae
Genre : Elms ( ulmus )
Type : Mountain elm
Scientific name
Ulmus glabra
Huds.

The mountain elm ( Ulmus glabra Huds. , Syn . : Ulmus scabra Mill. , Ulmus montana With. ) Is a large tree from the genus of the elm ( Ulmus ) and belongs to the elm family (Ulmaceae). The mountain elm was voted tree of the year in 1992.

Bark and leaves of an old mountain elm in Gotha
Branch with leaves and fruits
Wood

description

The mountain elm grows as a deciduous tree, it reaches heights of up to 40 meters and trunk diameters of up to 3 meters. Its buds are large and hairy, as are the younger branches. The deciduous leaves of the mountain elm are, as with all Central European elm species, asymmetrical, variable, 8 to 20 cm long, larger leaves are often three-pointed, they are broadest in the middle, often with 13 to 20 pairs of nerves, rather rough on the top, short-haired on the underside.

The flowering period extends from March to April. The flowers are sessile on leafless short shoots in small, ball - shaped trugdoldigen inflorescences . The hermaphrodite flowers have a five-column, mostly red perigon .

The fruit ripens from April to May. The seed, which often stays green for longer, lies in the middle of the fruit, surrounded by a wing.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 28.

ecology

The mountain elm can live up to 400 years. The rotation period in forestry is 120 to 140 years. Trunk and branches are culminated several times by side shoots (branching sympodial monochasial). The leaves as well as the side branches are arranged in two rows (light protection). In the case of the elms , photosynthesis is already taken over by the leaf-like wings of the ripening green fruits in spring, before the leaves appear.

Mountain elms have a taproot system when they are young. In old age, a sinker root system develops with a tendency towards heart roots (many sinkers from flat to sloping main roots). The roots form an arbuscular mycorrhiza , earlier information about an ectomycorrhiza has not been confirmed.

The flower buds overwinter. From an ecological point of view, it is the "vorlaufend", i.e. H. "Hang-flowered type" appearing in front of the leaves and wind-blooming. Remnants of pollen putty , as is common for insect pollination , are present. The flowers are strictly male hermaphroditic. Remnants of nectar glands produce traces of nectar at the base of the stamens , so that the basic system for insect pollination can also be seen at this point. The pollen is also an important food for bees in spring. The mountain elm begins to flower after 30 to 40 years.

The wing fruits are glider with a sink rate of 0.67 m / s. They are only transported far away in strong winds. Spreading is also possible through water adhesion to animals. The early fruit ripening is made possible by the photosynthesis that takes place in the ripening fruits . The seeds are light germinators, but only germinable for a few days.

The caterpillars of the following butterfly species depend on the mountain elm as a food source (selection):

Occurrence

The mountain elm is found almost all over Europe, from central Spain, Italy and southeast Europe to southern Scandinavia, from the British Isles to the Urals. It can be found from the lowlands up to an altitude of about 1300 meters. In the Allgäu Alps, it rises to an altitude of 1500 meters.

The mountain elm is found scattered in ravine forests and shady hillside forests. It prefers seep-moist, nutrient-rich and base-rich, also agitated loam and clay soils . According to Ellenberg's pointer values , it is a moderate heat pointer, a weak acid to weak base pointer, growing in nitrogen-rich locations and an association character of the linden-maple and maple-beech mixed forests (Tilio platyphylli-Acerion pseudoplatani).

Danger

The well-known Dutch elm disease is caused by the tubular fungus Ophiostoma ulmi . It lives in the trachea of the youngest annual rings and stimulates verthylation , which leads to blockage of the trachea and thus to the death of the tree. The fungus is transmitted by a bark beetle , the elm splint beetle ( Scolytus scolytus ), especially when the trees - such as in plantations on roads - have unfavorable site conditions and are close together. The disease is significantly promoted by lowering the groundwater . Diseased branches (or even the whole trees) should be removed immediately.

use

It is also planted as an avenue tree. In some places, mountain elms are large greenery in urban areas. Numerous old mountain elms are protected as natural monuments, for example a mountain elm in the old town of Gotha (Lutherstrasse).

The elastic and tough wood of the mountain elm has a beautiful grain . It is sold under the name “Rüster” and primarily supplies veneer for furniture and interior fittings. It is also used for turning . The heartwood of the mountain elm is pale brown, the beautifully drawn wood is often referred to as "elm".

Trivia

The oldest, thickest and largest tree of the species in Europe was the "Bergulme am Grenzhammer " in Ilmenau , Thuringia , which fell victim to a storm in 2015. According to previous knowledge, it was the only one who was immune to the fungal attack caused by the elm beetle .

swell

literature

  • Margot Spohn, Marianne Golte-Bechtle: What is blooming there? The encyclopedia: over 1000 flowering plants from Central Europe. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-10326-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. a b Kurt Harz: Trees and Shrubs. Leaves, flowers, fruits of the local species (= FSVO nature guide). 12th revised edition. blv, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-405-15107-4 .
  2. a b c d e f g h i j Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait . 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .
  3. a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 319 < .
  4. The mountain elm as a butterfly plant at FloraWeb
  5. World of Butterflies
  6. Small, very large butterflies
  7. Butterflies around Wildau and Berlin
  8. Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW, Eching 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , p. 427.
  9. Heinz Ellenberg : Vegetation of Central Europe with the Alps in an ecological, dynamic and historical perspective (=  UTB for science. Large series . Volume 8104 ). 5th, heavily changed and improved edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1996, ISBN 3-8252-8104-3 .
  10. Arne Martius: The only resistant mountain elm in Europe is in Ilmenau. In: Thuringian General. March 15, 2014. From Thueringer-Allgemeine.de, accessed on November 26, 2019.

Web links

Commons : Mountain Elm ( Ulmus glabra )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files