Thankfully, Dutch elm disease did not kill all American elms. There are many growing where I live near Douglasville, Georgia. Approximately 1,200 American elms grow in New York’s Central Park, which is over half the trees in the park. An estimated 200,000 are thought to be in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in the largest surviving urban forest in North America. Sadly, these are the lucky ones, as Dutch elm disease has wiped out American elms in many areas across America where large numbers once stood.
The American elm, Ulmus americana, is also known as white elm and water elm. Other names are soft elm, gray elm, and Florida elm. It is one of 8 species of elm native to North America, and one 
of 30 to 40 species of elm worldwide. The American elm is an extremely hardy tree, able to withstand temperatures as low as -44 degrees F. Trees not attacked by Dutch Elm disease can live for several hundred years. Its natural habitat is well-drained soil of bottomland, and along rivers on elevated terrain. When American elms in eastern North America spread westward to central Texas during the 18th to early 20th century, their most popular use was as ornamentals, and particularly as street trees. These trees arched over streets creating beautiful high-tunneled effects, and provided cool shading for passersby below. The American elm was one of the most widely planted ornamentals in both Europe and North America until the mid-20th century, when Dutch elm disease appeared.
Well-known for its vase-like and rounded form, American elm trees may reach 115 feet or more, and can cover an area as wide. Trunk diameters may measure 5 to 6 feet. Bark is ashy gray, coarse and scaly, and narrowly fissured with deep crisscrossing ridges. The bole of the tree typically branches into several leading branches that continue to divide and subdivide, arching and terminating in numerous slender, pendulous branchlets that are smooth and brown. Roots are extensive and shallow, and large ones may be seen on the surface.
Leaves of the American elm appear alternately on branches, on short petioles that are pubescent. The leaves I found on my samples were 1½ to 2½ 
inches in length, but most sources say they are typically 4 to 6 inches. The leaves are oval with a point at the apex, and have an asymmetrical base. Leaf edges are serrated, the upper surface is smooth to slightly rough, and the lower surface is pubescent. Veins are visible on leaves. Leaf color is dark green on top and dull green below, turning yellow before falling in autumn. It is interesting that growth is not sensitive to daylight length, but continues until injured by frost.
American elms must be at least 15 years old to bear seed. Small, inconspicuous green flowers appear on pendulous stalks in spring, in clusters of 3 to 4, before leaves emerge. Flower pollen can aggravate allergy sufferers. The samaras that 
develop from the flowers are single seeds surrounded by a flattened, papery wing that is wooly along the edges. Samaras ripen in May to June, and are wind-dispersed or eaten by birds and other wildlife.
Elms have had important uses that were not ornamental. In ancient Greece and Rome, there is recorded use of elms with trimmed branches used as props for cultivated grape vines. Leafy branches were fed as fodder to livestock, wood was used for firewood, and poles were used in making fences. Elm wood is resistant to splitting due to its interlocking grain, and though not resistant to decay when in contact with the ground, it is resistant to decay in water. Because 
of this, hollowed trunks were widely used as water pipes during medieval times. Elm timber was used as piers in construction of the original London Bridge, and has been used as keels in ship construction. Native Americans made canoes of the trunks. American settlers used elm for making wagon wheel hubs, coffins, and chair seats. They also steamed the wood, bending it to make barrels, wheel hoops, and rocking chair rockers. The wood continues to have demand for uses including sturdy furniture, finished woodwork, hockey sticks, and musical instruments. Leaves, seeds, and bark are edible, and during the great famine of 1812, bark cut into strips and boiled helped sustain Norway’s rural population.
The American elm is a great tree, due to its many appealing features. At one point, they became over-planted and often grew in monoculture. When these trees with their extensive root systems touched, Dutch elm disease fungus was able to easily pass from tree to tree. The only survivors of this disease were those growing in isolated areas. Thankfully, many American elms live on, and I am glad to be in an area where they can be appreciated.
