Ulmus 'Hillieri'

The elm cultivar Ulmus 'Hillieri' arose from a chance seedling at Hillier's Pitt Corner nursery near Winchester, England, in 1918,[1] and was marketed from 1928 as Ulmus hillieri,[2] a name accepted by Christine Buisman in her 1931 labelling of a specimen in France. Since at least 1944 the tree has been determined a form of Ulmus × hollandica, its designation at Kew Gardens, in Green,[3] and in later Hillier catalogues.[4] In 1940, 'Hillieri' was noted as being a hybrid of uncertain origin.[5] Krüssmann notes that for a time the tree was listed by Hilliers as U. × hillieri.[6]

Ulmus 'Hillieri'
'Hillieri' in Stanmer Park Arboretum, Brighton, summer, c.2005
GenusUlmus
Cultivar'Hillieri'
OriginWinchester, England

Not to be confused with Ulmus 'Jacqueline Hillier', which also has a shrubby habit but much smaller leaves.

Description

'Hillieri' is a graceful, compact, slow-growing miniature tree rarely > 1.2 m in height,[note 1] widely branched and bearing weeping branches.[6] The small leaves (5 – 7 cm by 2.5 – 3 cm[7]) turn crimson and yellow in favourable autumns,[1] a feature of at least one Japanese Elm cultivar, 'Jacan'. The 'vivid scarlet' of the autumn leaves was noted (1940) as being a unique colouring for elms.[5]

  • 'Hillieri' in Stanmer Park Arboretum, spring
    'Hillieri' in Stanmer Park Arboretum, spring
  • Fruit of same
    Fruit of same

Pests and diseases

The degree of the tree's susceptibility to Dutch elm disease (DED) is unknown. It has been noted that shrub-elms are usually less prone to infection.[8]

Cultivation

A specimen stood in the Arboretum national des Barres, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France, in the 1930s.[7] 'Hillier' was introduced to the US in 1954 as Ulmus hillieri.[9] An old low shrub-elm in Stanmer Park Arboretum, Brighton (2018, now storm-damaged), planted in the winter of 1965-6, with level rather than pendulous branching and leaves closely matching 'Hillieri' herbarium specimens in Kew Gardens[10] and the Arboretum national des Barres,[7] was said (2018) by Hillier Nurseries, who supplied many elms to the arboretum, to be 'Hillieri',[11] though it is about 4 m tall and lacks crimson autumn colour. Dutch authorities who examined the tree in 2010 conjectured Japanese Elm hybrid.[12]

A tree cultivated in Denmark as Ulmus × hollandica 'Hillieri' or Dukke-elm (:Doll's elm) appears from photographs to be U. 'Jacqueline Hillier'.[13] A tree in the Arboretum Volčji Potok, Slovenia, labelled Ulmus × hollandica 'Hillieri', has leaves much smaller than those of 'Hillieri', and may be a form of dwarf Ulmus parvifolia.[14][15]

Synonymy

Notes
  1. The 2002 edition of The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs misprints as "usually less than 12 m high" (p.369).

References
  1. Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs. (1977). David & Charles, Newton Abbot, UK.
  2. Hillier & Sons, Cat. 38T, p.52, 1928 (Winchester)
  3. Green, Peter Shaw (1964). "Registration of cultivar names in Ulmus". Arnoldia. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. 24 (6–8): 41–80. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. Terrier, C. (1944). "La maladie des ormeaux" (PDF). Bulletin de la Murithienne. 62: 71–84. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  5. Weaver, Sidney (1940). "Correspondence". Gardeners' Chronicle. 108: 44. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  6. Krüssmann, Gerd (1986). Manual of cultivated broad-leaved trees & shrubs. Vol. 3. p. 410.
  7. bioportal.naturalis.nl, specimen L.1587100
  8. Rafaël Govaerts, Kris Michielsen and Eike Jablonski, 'Untraced weeping broadleaf cultivars: an overview', dendrology.lu
  9. Plant Inventory No. 162. 213985
  10. Kew Plants of the World Online: ' Ulmus × hollandica Mill. Images'; Kew herbarium specimen of Ulmus × hollandica Mill. cv. 'Hillieri': Image 4 of 52; ID:1128161; powo.science.kew.org
  11. Correspondence from Hillier Nurseries Limited, October 2018.
  12. Correspondence from Holland, October 2018.
  13. Lønbæk Planteskole, Holstebro, Denmark; loenbaek.dk
  14. Arboretum Volčji Potok, tree photo
  15. Arboretum Volčji Potok, leaves photo
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