April's Plant of the Month

Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'
(Camperdown elm)

Family: Ulmaceae   Origin: Scotland   Accession: 1974

The Camperdown Elm is a natural mutant of Scotland’s native wych elm. It was discovered by chance around 1835 by the Earl of Camperdown’s head forester David Taylor, who transplanted the tree to the grounds of Camperdown House on the outskirts of Dundee where it still survives. Unlike surrounding elms it has not succumbed to Dutch elm disease, perhaps because of its small stature or contorted habit; its bizarre branch structure has been likened to a living sculpture. Its flower buds open in spring, though it cannot reproduce from seed. However it has been widely propagated from cuttings, usually grafted onto wych elms, and many examples were planted in Britain and America, satisfying the Victorian passion for curiosities.

find it among the Americas