Slippery Elm is a long-lived elm tree that, while native to North Carolina, is rarely used in the landscape due to its rough texture and difficulty to find commercially. In nature, it can be found in wooded areas with moist to fairly dry calcareous soils and in cove forests in the low mountains containing soils rich in organic matter, and drier upland soils. It is not often found above 1800 feet elevation. It will tolerate drought and part shade but prefers sun and moist loam or clay loam soils. It can be grown in any soil of moderate quality as long as it is well drained. A moderately fast-growing tree, it can live about 200 years in the wild. It can be weedy and messy due to seed production. The tree can reach a height of 70 feet and its single trunk has a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. It is best used away from the home in naturalized areas due to messiness, as it is beneficial to wildlife. Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: Dutch elm disease, a fungal disease spread by beetles, attacks the inner tissue of the tree, resulting in wilting, defoliation and death. Susceptible to other elm diseases including phloem necrosis and wetwood, and various wilts, rots, cankers and leaf spots may also occur. Insects include borers, leaf miner, beetles, mealy bugs, caterpillars and scale. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Ulmus .
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 sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 50 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Oval; Vase
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Obovate
Leaf margin
Doubly Serrate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Four to eight inch long broad, rounded, green leaves with an offset base, 2 to 3 inches wide with a rough texture due to minute hairs. The lower leaf surface is whitish-green and more or less covered with short pubescence. The white ribs of the veins are very prominent along the lower surface. The fall color is dull yellow.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower detail
Greenish-red flowers form in dense clusters of 5 to 20 flowers up to 1" across on short stems. In North Carolina, flowers are available from February to April.
Bloom time
Spring; Winter
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Samara
Fruit detail
The fruit is a flat, 1-seeded samara. Not-showy. In North Carolina, fruits are available from March to May.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Trunk bark is predominantly gray, consisting of narrow flat ridges and shallow furrows; inner bark is more reddish-brown, as revealed by some of the furrows. Has downy twigs and slimy red inner bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Branches are ascending to widely spreading, becoming subdivided into numerous twigs. The bark of branches and older twigs are more smooth and gray to reddish-brown, while the bark of young twigs is grey, rough, and hairy. Buds are black.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Distribution
Central and southern North America - Maine to Florida, west to Texas and North Dakota. throughout Canada and the lower 48 United States.
Wildlife value
Birds often nest in the thick elm foliage, and the seeds and buds are food to songbirds, game birds, and squirrels. Deer and rabbits browse on the twigs. This tree is a larval host for butterflies and moths.
The moist inner bark is an ingredient used in throat lozenges. Wood is close grained, durable, and heavy and is used for lumber and pulpwood. Native Americans used the bark for canoes in place of birch, for medicinal use, and to quench thirst by chewing the sweep, fibrous inner bark peeled from twigs and branches.
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Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Elm Leafminer; Elm Sawfly; Elm Zigzag Sawfly; Elm Lace Bug; Elm Leafminer; Smaller European Elm Bark Beetle; Larger Elm Leaf Beetle; Native Elm Bark Beetle; Mourning Cloak Butterfly / Spiny Elm Caterpillar; Elm-Grass Root Aphid; Common Insect Pests of Elm in North Carolina
Disease problems
Dutch Elm Disease; Common Diseases of Elm Trees in North Carolina