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Water Elm

Planera aquatica (PLAN-er-uh a-KWA-te-kuh)

Family: Ulmaceae Native Understory

Water elm is a native deciduous tree in the elm family. This tree is slow-growing and has a long lifespan. It grows in sandy or gravelly, moist, seasonally wet soils of floodplains and swampy areas. Water Elm grows as a large shrub or small tree, usually with multiple stems, a short trunk and a low spreading crown. It is categorized as an OBL or Obligate Wetland Species, meaning it almost always occurs in wetlands under natural conditions.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 52 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 2 - Understory Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Native Plant; Perennial; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Frequent Standing Water | Moist | Occasional Flooding | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Multi-trunked; Spreading; Vase
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Deltoid; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
1 to 3 inches long, 1/2 to 1 inch wide, dark green above, paler below. Bases usually unequal.
Flower color
Green
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower detail
Flowers are very small with curling fuzzy stigmas.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The 1/2 inch fruit is a stalked leathery drupe with fleshy burr-like projections.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Light Brown; Light Gray; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Scaly, shredding, patchy and grayish-brown, some reddish where bark exfoliates.
Stem detail
Redish to gray-brown stems have hairs when young but become smooth with age.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
SE USA
Distribution
AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Spring
Fruit type
Drupe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Water Garden
Garden tags
#Braham Arboretum #deciduous #NC native #single trunk #slow growing #OBL #swamps #shrub #wet soils tolerant #boggy sites #long lived #wetland
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Wet Soil
Particularly resistant to
Dutch elm disease

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.