Life History and Disturbance Response of Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)
Family: Ulmaceae
Guild: pioneer, spring-dispersed, moist-site tolerant
Functional Lifeform: medium-size deciduous tree
Ecological Role: found on a wide range of sites from river terraces to dry hillsides; usually a subcanopy component of wet-mesic forests but also occurs as an occasional tree in oak-hickory mixtures
Lifespan, yrs (typical/max): 200/300
Shade Tolerance: tolerant
Height, m: 18-22
Canopy Tree: yes
Pollination Agent: wind
Seeding, yrs (begins/optimal/declines): 15/40/150
Mast Frequency, yrs: 2-4
New Cohorts Source: seeds or sprouts
Flowering Dates: early spring
Flowers/Cones Damaged by Frost: yes
Seedfall Begins: late spring
Seed Banking: seasonal, up to 1 yr
Cold Stratification Required: no
Seed Type/Dispersal Distance/Agent: winged/ to 100 m/ gravity, wind
Season of Germination: spring
Seedling Rooting System: shallow
Sprouting: stump sprouts, rhizome sprouts, layerings common
Establishment Seedbed Preferences:
Substrate: variable
Light: overstory shade
Moisture: moist required
Temperature: neutral
Disturbance response:
Fire: Fire rarely occurs in the moist areas where slippery elm typically grows. When fire does occur and conditions are dry, slippery elm greatly decreases following fire. Small topkilled trees sprout from the root crown or from root suckers. Wind- and water-dispersed seed are important in the establishment of slippery elm following fire. Little other specific information is known about this species, but response to wounding is probably similar.
Weather: Slippery elm is somewhat tolerant of flooding. It is susceptible to ice damage.
Exotics: The dominance of all North American elm species has been significantly decreased by Dutch elm disease, caused by an exotic wilt fungus (Ceratocystis ulmi) which was introduced from Europe in 1930. It is spread by two species of elm bark beetles, one European (Scolytus multistriatus) and the other native (Hylurgopinus rufipes). Juvenile trees have some resistance to the disease, and elms produce wind-borne seeds before they die. Elms will likely persist in the forest as an understory species.