Belfast Botanic Gardens Tree Archive
This is one of a series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens compiled by the Friends group. The tree tag number relates to the BCC black tree maintenance tags, usually fixed on the tree trunk, 2 to 3m above ground level.
Family: Ulmaceae
Zelkova carpinifolia (Pall.) K.Koch
Caucasian elm
Black tag 121
54deg 34.946N
5deg 56.076W
Zelkova carpinifolia is a slow-growing tree up to 100ft (30m) but in the UK it often forms a short widely-spreading tree. It comes from the Caucasus and Northern Iran and was introduced to horticulture in 1760. The alternate arrangement of the twigs on each branch and the leaves on each twig have a regularity similar to that of our native elm which belongs to the same family - Ulmaceae. This small tree is planted on the sloping grass between the Ulster Museum and the Global Medicinal Garden.
Young Zelkova carpinifolia in Belfast Botanic Gardens
Branch of Zelkova carpinifolia
Opposite branching pattern of Zelkova carpinifolia
Autumn foliage of Zelkova carpinifolia Jardin des Plantes, Paris
Photos taken in Belfast Botanic Gardens in 2021. Copyright: Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens.
click here to view the rest of the tree archive