The American Elm

Three different types are part of the American elm family, all classified as American elm:

• ► U. Americana L. which supplies the so-called “white elm”;
• ► U. fulva Michx. from which, instead, the "red elm" is obtained;
• ► U. thomasii Sarg. from which the “rock elm” is derived.

Regardless of whether it belongs to one or another species, generally the American elm has a very wide crown that is oval or conical, its leaves are ovoid, have a serrated edge and are deciduous and the fruits are samaras small and winged with a central seed. The plant grows best in the sun and on deep soils but is also well suited in shady places and is able to develop even in shallower soils.

As far as the trunk of the tree is concerned, the part that is used for the floors, the heartwood, is of a color that goes from light to brown / reddish depending on the species and has clearly distinguishable growth rings and rather marked veins. The sapwood, as always, is slightly lighter. The grain is straight and with a fine texture in the U. thomasii elm, while in the white elm it often has crossed fibers and a coarse and downy texture.

American elm wood, like its European cousin, has good resistance to water, in fact it is used for the construction of ships but also for port areas and elements immersed in basins. It is also characterized by good workability, medium flexural and breaking strength and has low stiffness. The white elm, in particular, is characterized by high mechanical resistance and the rock elm by high impact resistance. In any case, all Elm species are quite resistant to shocks, on average stable and resistant to static bending.

On the floor, American elm is sought after for its light color, for the evident veins that create character designs and for the mechanical resistance similar to that of oak.

---

Elm - Features

Category / Family / Name	Ulmus Minor
Origin	Italy / Europe - North America
Color	varies from light brown to reddish brown - light gray - yellowish green.
Weaving	Resembles oak in texture.
Mass (after seasoning)	- Lightweight (450 Kg / m2)
Durability	- Poor
Stability	++ Fair
Machinability	++ Good
Hardness	+ Diesceta
Mechanical characteristics	- Axial 51 N / mm2, bending 110 N / mm2
Gluing	+++ Great
Painting	++ Good
Legend	- Poor - Moderate + Fair ++ Good +++ Excellent

---

The European Elm: the plant

The European elm can theoretically grow to higher heights and diameters than its American cousin. Its natural habitat is in the temperate regions of Europe, it also grows well in Italy (we have one in the garden) and is found up to 1,000 meters above sea level.

I wrote "theoretically" because, unfortunately, it's not easy today to see a European elm grow to the size it once did. This is due to a disease, graphiosis, which affects adult elms and causes them to dry out and die in a short time. At the moment there is no cure for this mushroom of Asian origin: the only path we are taking is to select individuals resistant to the disease so that, in the future, we can enjoy large Elm plants again.

European elm: types: There are 4 types of elm that fall under the European elm denomination:

• ► Ulmus minor or Field elm;
• ► Ulmus Procera or English elm;
• ► U. carpinifolia which is the most common elm in Europe;
• ► U. hollandica and U. glabra

The crown of the European elm is irregular, its leaves are elliptical with a serrated and deciduous margin. The plant grows best in woods or uncultivated land and shows good adaptability even to cold and drought.

The tree trunk has a generally dull brown heartwood with a reddish tinge that is clearly distinguishable from the lighter sapwood. It has irregular and distinct growth rings that determine a coarse texture.

Properties of the Elm:

Perhaps not everyone knows that the elm has had purifying, astringent, sweat, anti-inflammatory properties of the mucous membranes and special healing properties since ancient times. The parts of the plant used for these purposes are mainly the leaves from which natural remedies such as herbal teas are obtained. Also with the bark decoctions are taken that can relieve seasonal throat pain, if they are ingested, while if they are used for external compresses they help the healing of the skin in the presence of herpes or acne.

European Elm: uses

Thousands of European elm trunks have been planted to support Venetian palaces and churches (together with Larches and Oak). Used both for the poles and for the planking placed above the piling. This demonstrates its good water resistance. It is in fact also used to build ships and boats.

In addition to boats, elm is also used in external coatings, to create sturdy flooring but also hockey sticks and gym equipment in general, agricultural tools, Windsor chair bottoms, cutting boards and stair rungs.

European elm: wood

Like its American cousin, the European is a medium heavy and hard wood but the workability is good (75%), it has a low resistance to bending and breaking and poor stiffness and resistance to impact. However, the shaping in the presence of steam is excellent and drying is very rapid. The gluing is satisfactory and it is possible to obtain good finishes.

Elm parquet

The use of European elm as a floor is, at this time, scarce due to the difficulty of finding large trunks necessary for the construction of boards, due to the disease mentioned above. Producers most frequently offer American elm which is more toned and clean, while maintaining an important grain of character. The European axes are more streaked, more shaded and, sometimes, with veins with shades of green.

Floor Elm is usually chosen large: it would be a real shame to cut its splendid veins to make small strips. It is in the table at least 19/20 cm wide that the Elm expresses its splendor to the maximum.

Given the size and quality of the material, it is preferable to work with a three-layer construction that guarantees greater stability, especially if we have to lay it on a radiant floor system.