Urban Tree of the Year 2012

Accolade™ Elm (Ulmus 'Morton')

The Society of Municipal Arborists has selected the Accolade elm as its urban tree of the year for 2012.

Cornell University's Nina Bassuk, Director of the Urban Horticulture Institute, says the original Accolade, at the Morton Arboretum, is "spectacular, reminiscent of the tall arched form of the American elm."

Accolade is considered a hybrid of Ulmus japonica and U. wilsoniana, and the plant originated from seed collected at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston in 1924.

Accolade is resistant to Dutch elm disease, which wiped out most American elms, and it's also resistant to elm yellows and to elm leaf beetle. Its mature size is about 50 to 60 feet tall and 30 to 40 feet wide; it has excellent drought tolerance; it has a vase-shaped habit with upright, arching branches; and is hardy to Zone 4. Its leaves are a dark, glossy green, which turn yellow in the fall.

Accolade is the first of many elms introduced by the Morton Arboretum, where a tree breeding program was established under Dr. George Ware to study as many Asian elms as possible with the objective of finding a disease-resistant replacement for the American elm.

photo: Chicagoland Grows

 

Comments

[carolyn mullet]

Would love to see a mature tree. Hard to tell from the photo if it will be that elegant vase shape of our dear nearly departed American Elm. Thanks for this post. I can always count on you to keep me up to date on the latest horticultural news.