1 ELM TREES IN 2 Elms are arguably some of Britain’s oldest trees. The bark B of an elm tree From pollen records in fossils, they are known to is corky, dark grey and deeply have been widespread across Britain in Neolithic furrowed. forests. English Elms are some of the UK's oldest Elms have small flowers, Woollett © Anne living trees. They are thought to have been brought which appear before the here by Bronze Age farmers around 5000 years leaves and give the tree a ago from their native South East Europe. purple colour in February B and March. The flowers have USES OF ELM WOOD male and female parts, and

Elm timber is very durable in wet conditions. It has the fertilised seeds develop Clerkin © Eugene been used for hundreds of years to make water- into bunches of parchment- pipes, wharfs, ships, weather-boarding, hubs of like oval wings with the seed cartwheels, wheelbarrows, floorboards and coffins. on the middle C. In the UK, The irregular and intricate grain patterns of the elm seeds are rarely viable. C wood make it popular for furniture and sculpture. Elm trees usually reproduce by suckering from the roots, thus producing genetically identical trees IDENTIFYING ELM TREES (a fine example of this is in ). Elm leaves A are Double- It is thought that this lack of genetic variation is the arranged alternately A toothed main reason for the catastrophic decline in English on the twigs. The edges Elms due to Dutch Elm Disease (see below). edges are double- toothed; that is, DUTCH ELM DISEASE the main teeth This is a microscopic fungus, Ophiostoma novo- themselves have Clerkin © Eugene ulmi, which blocks the transport vessels of the tree toothed edges. by interfering with its hormones. The fungus fruits The base of the under the bark of infected trees, where two species © Trier Mike leaf is lower on one of Scolytus bark beetle breed. The beetles spread side of the stalk than A fine Huntingdon Elm, in seed, on . This the spores, each one carrying up to half-a-million on the other hybrid of Wych Elm and Smooth-leaved Elm is more resistant spores. The disease is also dispersed through the (‘asymmetrical’). Asymmetrical base to Dutch Elm Disease than English Elm. root systems of elm trees that produce suckers. The leaves of the three native species of elm Dutch Elm Disease in Britain has caused the vary in size, shape, colour and hairiness: PUBLIC TRANSPORT loss of more than 25 million elms since the 1960s – Wych Elm Ulmus glabra Buses: All areas are near to bus routes. See: especially English Elms. The devastating outbreak 10–18cm long; very rough hairs on upper surface www.tfl.gov.uk/buses; or phone 020 7222 1234 in 1971 came from imported elm timber which had (rub from tip to base); leaf stalk shorter than 3mm. Trains: Some nearby stations are marked not been stripped of its bark.

Smooth-leaved (or Dutch) Elm Ulmus minor ELM SURVEY Less than 7cm long and usually longer than wide; This leaflet was prepared by Anne Woollett and Mike The Natural History Museum is collecting data on glossy bright green and smooth on upper surface; Trier with assistance from Prue Poulton, Ian Graham, the few thousand elms which still survive. They variable shape. Annie Chipchase, Russell Miller and Eugene Clerkin. hope to understand more about Dutch Elm Disease English (or Common) Elm Ulmus procera and why some trees are more resistant than others. For copies of the leaflet contact 020 8985 1256, or see Less than 7cm long, broadly oval to circular; hairy Visit www.nhm.ac.uk/science/biodiversity and stalk when mature. www.hackneyenvironment.org.uk www.ramblers.org.uk/elms for further information. LOCATIONS OF MATURE NORTH HACKNEY KEY N Abney Park Cemetery ELM TREES IN HACKNEY Surviving Elm trees Some regenerated English Elms along and near Hackney Borough Great Elm Walk in Abney Park Cemetery. There are over 30 mature elm trees in boundary Hackney, but we are still losing them Springfield Park to Dutch Elm Disease. The map shows Huntingdon Elm at northern edge of Springfield their approximate locations, and the CLAPTON Park by Spring Hill. Another lower down.

New River COMMON POINT list (opposite) gives further details. HORSESHOE HOLMLEIGH EAST HACKNEY CUTTING SPRINGFIELD Hackney Downs R. Lea PARK Two large Huntingdon Elms along Hackney Downs StokeReservoirs Newington Road and two smaller Smooth-leaved Elms along Downs Park Road. FILTER BEDS ABNEY PARK MILLFIELDS STOKE PARK CEMETERY NEWINGTON Clapton Pond CLISSOLD COMMON Smooth-leaved Elm at Clapton Pond. PARK CLAPTON POND HACKNEY Millfields MARSHES R. Lea Navigation Huntingdon Elms grow in the avenue of HACKNEY () tall plane and elm trees in North Millfields DOWNS WICK ST. JOHN’S WOOD (10) and South Millfields (14). CHURCHYARD Also alongside Fletching Road (the

VICTORIA R. Lea largest in the Borough, with a girth of WELL STREET PARK 333cm/12ft) and , Wattisfield LONDON COMMON and Chatsworth Roads. FIELDS CHURCHYARD, LAURISTON RD Hackney Marshes Regents Canal Newly planted elms by south car park on Hackney © Anne © Woollett Marshes, by Road. The trees with the dark bark are Huntingdon Elms Ulmus x hollandica 'vegetata’ – here on North Millfields. Wenlock PARK The bark easily distinguishes them from the Basin Wick Wood PARK London Planes – the other trees in this avenue. Two Smooth-leaved Elms by row of planes in Wick 0 2 miles 5km Wood.

SOUTH HACKNEY Most of Hackney's mature elms are Huntingdon Elm More recent plantings have been Smooth-leaved Elm. Churchyard, Lauriston Road – a hybrid of Wych Elm with Smooth-leaved Elm. It does not grow as tall as Huntingdon Elm and the leaves Large Huntingdon Elm in St. John of Jerusalem They were planted when the Lammas Lands came are smaller. churchyard near junction with Balcorne Street. into public ownership in the 1880s–1890s. In Abney Park and on Millfields and Hackney Marshes, Huntingdon Elm in back garden of house in This hybrid is less susceptible to Dutch Elm elms have regenerated themselves from their roots; but, Penshurst Road, visible from Banbury Road. Disease than English Elm, but some die each year once they grow to about 6m (20ft), the disease takes hold and have to be cut down. North Millfields lost two in and they die. There are some new plantings of elm trees in If you know of any elms trees in Hackney to add to 2003; the remaining elm on many of Hackney’s parks which are considered to be more this list, please contact Hackney’s Tree Officer: Common became infected, and was felled in 2005. resistant to disease. [email protected]