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Forestry
Champion Trees
Winged Elm -
(Ulmus alata Michx.)
Allow me to introduce something really special; the largest tree
of it's kind in our state. This huge Arkansas native Winged Elm has
recently been named an Arkansas State Champion tree by the Arkansas Forestry
Commission. The Winged Elm (Ulmus alata Michx.) is a fairly wide
ranging tree capable of surviving variable environments. In Arkansas, they may
be found growing in marshy conditions as well as on well drained rocky uplands
and in hardwood forests; a veritable niche snitcher. They are common in Texas,
Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana; eastward to Florida, north to Virginia, and
west through Ohio and Indiana to Kansas and Missouri.
A tree with a short trunk usually 18 to 24 inches in diameter,
some however, under ideal conditions may be 3 feet in diameter, reaching a
height of 80 feet. The National Register of Big Trees 2000 places the United
States Champion Winged Elm in Richmond County, North Carolina. Nominated by
Walter B. High, this giant is 185 inches in diameter(4.9 feet), 97 feet tall,
and provides 78 feet of shade at high noon. Wow !
It was discovered near Brinkley, Arkansas and nominated by
retired Monroe County
Cooperative Extension Agent Reggie Talley. This specimen Winged Elm has a
bigness Index of 170, exhibiting a crown spread of 78 feet, with a height of 60
feet, and a girth circumference of 90 inches. This giant joins two other
Arkansas Champion trees in the Brinkley area.
Mature specimens are varied in their height and spread due to
environmental conditions, nutrient availability, and location. This specimen's
vase-shaped or upward extended branch form is probably more often seen
statewide. Having officially been reported in 73 of our Arkansas' 75 counties,
the Winged Elm is the most common species of tree to be found in our state. The
next time you travel from central Arkansas to Memphis on I-40, check out the
number of these tough competitors thickly growing in the median right-of-way and
along the east and west bound fence line.
The Winged Elm flowers in the spring before
leaves appear, with the fruit developing into flattened, thin, ovoid, winged,
hairy samaras containing a solitary seed. They may be greenish colored but more
often appear reddish giving the tree a beautiful auburn color in the early
spring. The alternately arranged deciduous leaves are simple, serrate/doubly
toothed, turning a pretty yellow in the autumn. The bark of the tree is light
brown, thin, and irregularly furrowed. The twigs are brownish to reddish brown,
slender, often with two broad corky wings (½ inch wide) which give rise to the
common names Winged Elm, and Cork Elm. Other vernacular names are Piss Elm,
Water Elm, Red Elm, Witch Elm, and Wahoo Elm. The Wahoo name is probably the
correct common name (if there is such a thing); the Muskogean stock of Native
Americans known as the Creek Indians of Alabama, Georgia, and parts of Florida
called this tree uhawhu which was anglicized to Wahoo. Years ago, Witch Elm was
more than likely the name given to the tree from which came the forked
"divining rod" (forked branch) that dowsers, also known as "water witchers", used for divining water. Once the spot was located over a
subterranean stream and double checked, a well was dug. They seem to work well,
a lot of folks are still using that method. The name Piss Elm probably evolved
from a commonly used interjection used in the 18th and 19th century, pish,
expressing disdain or contempt, especially when settlers were confronted with
vast stands of these hard to split trees that required strenuous labor;
monotonous hand removal with axes and saws to clear ground for farming...Pish
Elms.
Ulmus is the Latin name for the genus, and alata (furnished with
wings) refers to the corky wings that are found growing along twigs and
branches. The winged Elm is a favorite shade and ornamental tree that is
transplanted easily, sprouts readily from seeds, and is relatively disease free.
During the 18th and 19th century, the fibrous inner bark was manufactured into
heavy twine that was used for tying hay bales and for fastening covers for
cotton bales. Formerly the wood was used for tool handles, vehicle parts, and
agricultural implements.
By: Reggie Talley
Retired Monroe County Extension Agent
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