Wych Elm

Ulmus glabra

Mature trees are large reaching up to 40 metres in height. The bark starts out quite smooth and grey but becomes more brown and cracked in older trees. Easy to identify, it is characterised by its short leaf stalks and lack of suckers at the base of the main trunk. The leaves are very rough and one side of the base is longer than the other, the longer side actually covers the short leaf stalk. It has red flowers during early spring which set as winged seeds even before the leaves are fully opened. Wych elm is quite resistant to Dutch Elm disease and is common in the north and west of Britain.