The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Crispa' [:'curled', the leaf margin], sometimes known as the Fernleaf Elm, arose before 1800Krüssmann, Gerd, Manual of Cultivated Broad-Leaved Trees & Shrubs (1984 vol. 3) and was first listed by Willdenow as U. crispa (1809). Audibert listed a U. campestris Linn. 'Crispa', orme à feuilles crépues [:'frizzy-leaved elm'], in 1817,Audibert, U., Catalogue des végétaux de tous genres cultivés dans les jardins et pépinières à Tonelle (Tarascon, France, 1817) p.23 catalogue of 1817 and an Ulmus urticaefolia [:'nettle-leaved elm'] in 1832; the latter is usually taken to be a synonym. Loudon considered the tree a variety of U. montana (1838). In the 19th century, Ulmus × hollandica cultivars, as well as those of Wych Elm, were often grouped under Ulmus montana.Späth, L., Baumschulenweg Katalog (1903), p.131 Elwes and Henry (1913) listed 'Crispa' as a form of wych elm, but made no mention of the non-wych samara (see 'Description').
Hanham (1857) noted that in his day concave-leaved field elm, U. campestris concavaefolia, was frequently mistaken for and sold as 'Crispa' in nurseries, "though there is a wide difference between them".Hanham, F. (1857). A Manual for the Park (Royal Victoria Park, Bath). Longman, London. The Louis van Houtte nursery used the synonym Ulmus campestris adiantifolia Sheet labelled Ulmus scabra var. adiantifolia for 'Crispa', and Ulmus campestris crispa for the cultivar 'Webbiana'.Cultures de Louis van Houtte: Plantes Vivaces de Pleine Terre, Catalogue de Louis van Houtte, 1881-2, p.303 The Baudriller nursery of Angers went one step further, listing Ulmus campestris adiantifolia, orme à feuilles de capillaire [:'downy-leaved elm'], separately from both Ulmus campestris crispa, orme à feuilles crispées [:'wrinkled-leaved elm'] and Ulmus campestris webbiana, orme de Webb.
Koch, noting similarities between 'Crispa' and Ulmus montana rugosa, conjectured (1872) that the latter cultivar, which has "similar but less frizzy leaves", may have arisen from the former.
Description 'Crispa' is a slow-growing tree with pendulous branches bearing narrow, linear to oblanceolate leaves up to 9 cm long by 3.5 cm broad, distinctively wrinkled and with numerous incised curved teeth.Bean, W. J. (1981). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition. Murray, London."Herbarium specimen BR0000026205151V". Botanic Garden, Meise. Sheet labelled Ulmus effusa var. crispa, Jardin Botanique de Liège (C. Aigret; 1904) Ayrshire specimen in RBGE archive (1947) Hanham (1857), concurring with Loudon (1838), described it as "generally of a slender and stunted habit of growth", and Henry (1913) as a small tree;Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. p.1867. Private publication, Edinburgh. mature specimens in Sweden, however, have attained a height comparable to the type.tradgardsakademin.se/aktuella-uppdateringar/ulmus-glabra-crispa-rynkalm The seed is near the apex (margin) of the samara, Labelled U. urticaefolia (1925) confirmed from specimens in The Netherlands Sheet labelled Ulmus crispa, Amsterdam specimen (1859); samarae and leaves Sheet labelled Ulmus crispa, Amsterdam specimen; samarae and leaves – a diagnostic feature which points to hybridity. The petiole is variable – short on thick twigs, but longer and unwyly-like on more slender twigs.* Ayrshire specimen in RBGE archive (1947)* Kew specimen (1881) Arnold Arboretum, Massachusetts, described their specimen of 'Crispa' (1915) as "more curious than beautiful".Arnold Arboretum Bulletin of Popular Information, Vol.1 N.S., No.14, July 1915, p.55
Pests and diseases 'Crispa' is susceptible to Dutch elm disease.
Cultivation 'Crispa' was once to be found in collections in Britain, including Kew, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh,Krüssman, Gerd, Manual of Cultivated Broad-Leaved Trees & Shrubs (1984 vol. 3); photo of RBGE 'Crispa' and the Royal Victoria Park, Bath. A specimen obtained from Späth as U. montana crispa and planted in 1916, stood in the Ryston Hall arboretum, Norfolk, in the early 20th century. The tree was propagated and marketed in the UK by the Hillier & Sons nursery, Winchester, Hampshire, from 1945, with just 12 sold in the period 1962 to 1977, when production ceased.Hillier & Sons (1977). Catalogue of Trees & Shrubs. Hillier, Ampfield, UK.Hillier & Sons Sales inventory 1962 to 1977 (unpublished). Only one mature tree is now known to survive in the UK, at the Rosemoor Garden in Devon.
Specimens survive in Sweden (see 'Notable trees') and Latvia. As 'Crispa' was marketed in Poland in the 19th century by the Ulrich nursery,Ulrich, C. (1894), Katalog Drzew i Krezewow, C. Ulrich, Rok 1893–94, Warszawa Warsaw, and by the Späth nursery of Berlin, other specimens may survive elsewhere in Eastern Europe. The Hesse Nursery of Weener, Germany, distributed the tree as U. campestris urticifolia Hort. in the 1930s. The tree remains in cultivation in Europe (see 'Nurseries').
The tree was introduced to the Dominion Arboretum, Ottawa, Canada in 1896 as U. montana crispa (syn. U. campestris urticaefolia). Ulmus crispa was distributed by Hovey's nursery of Boston, Massachusetts from the 1850s.Hovey & Co., Boston, Mass., Catalogue of ornamental trees & shrubs, evergreens and climbing plants, 1855, p.5 'Crispa' appeared as U. urticifolia, 'Nettle-leaved elm' with "undulating leaves", in Kelsey's 1904 catalogue, New York. It was listed by nurseries in Australia in the early 20th century, but there are no records of any survivors there.Spencer, R., Hawker, J. and Lumley, P. (1991). Elms in Australia. Australia: Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. .
Notable trees
Large specimens survive in Sweden, in Krusenburg near Uppsala, and Stockholm (Hantverkargatan and two in Serafimerparken) (2017).Photographs of mature specimen of U. 'Crispa' in Krusenburg near Uppsala, from tradgardsakademin.se, 'Crispa' (right) in Serafimerparken, Stockholm
Varieties 'Crispa Aurea' 'Crispa Pendula'
Synonymy Ulmus urticaefolia: Audibert 1832 catalogue. Ulmus adiantifolia Hort.: Kirchner,kiki.huh.harvard.edu in Petzoldkiki.huh.harvard.edu & Kirchner, Arboretum Muscaviense, 565, 1864. Arboretum Muscaviense 566 (1864) Name in synonymy. Ulmus campestris adiantifolia ?: Baudriller 1880 catalogue, Louis van Houtte 1881 catalogue. Ulmus campestris var. sublaciniatus: Mathieu, Flore générale de Belgique 1: 480, 1853.. Ulmus montana filicifolia ?: Smith & Co., Worcester, 1887–88,'Standard Ornamental Trees' in Forest, hardy ornamental trees, conifers, etc., Richard Smith & Co., Worcester, 1887–88, p.27 Thompson & Watson: a wych elm cultivar with "dissected foliage"Robert Thompson & William Watson, The Gardener's Assistant (London 1901), p.324 Ulmus campestris filicifolia ? :Louis van Houtte 1881 catalogue Ulmus asplenifolia: Bean (1936)Bean, W. J. (1936) Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition, Murray, London, vol. 2, p.616
Accessions Europe Grange Farm Arboretum, Lincolnshire, UK. Acc. no. 1069. Hortus Botanicus Nationalis, Salaspils, Latvia. Acc. no. 18101 Linnaean Gardens of Uppsala, Sweden. Acc. no. 1996-1558 Rosemoor Garden, Torrington, Devon, UK. One tree, in Lady Anne's Garden, planted in 1976, 8 m high (2008) ; obtained from the D M van Gelderen nursery, Boskoop, Netherlands. Tallinn Botanic Garden, Estonia . No details available. Netherlands Plant Collection Ulmus, Wijdemeren, 3 planted as Ulmus glabra ‘Crispa’ 2021 Rading Loosdrecht and De Kwakel Kortenhoef obtained from Chris van der Wurff nursery, Netherlands.Netherlands Plant Collection: Iepen, Ulmus
Nurseries Arboretum Waasland , Nieuwkerken-Waas, Belgium. Centrum voor Botanische Verrijking vzw, Kampenhout, Belgium.Centrum voor Botanische Verrijking vzw: Voorraadlijst , accessdate: November 2, 2016 Lønbæk Planteskole , Holstebro, Denmark. Kwekerij Arborealis , Wilhelminaoord, Netherlands. Szkółki Konieczko , Gogolin, Poland.
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