English Elm 

leaves

Family: Ulmaceae (Elm family)

Native tree to Britain, although it was believed in the past that the Romans might have introduced it to support grape-vines. English Elm was the main victim of the Dutch Elm Disease (DED) epidemic, which started in 1967.

The English Elms had been planted in great numbers in the 17th and 18th century in England, usually as part of hedges and land enclosures, as well as for their ornamental and timber value. The fact that the trees were mainly propagated by suckers and therefore have relatively little genetic variety, may have contributed to the massive effect the epidemic had on the English landscape. Efforts continue to search for resistant strains.