Ulmus minor 'Stricta'

Ulmus minor 'Stricta'
U. minor 'Stricta', Coldrenick, Cornwall, before 1913
Species	Ulmus minor
Cultivar	'Stricta'
Origin	England

The field elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Stricta', known as Cornish elm, was commonly found in South West England (Cornwall and West Devon), Brittany, and south-west Ireland,^[1] until the arrival of Dutch elm disease in the late 1960s. The origin of Cornish elm in the south-west of Britain remains a matter of contention. It is commonly assumed to have been introduced from Brittany.^[2] It is also considered possible that the tree may have survived the ice ages on lands to the south of Cornwall long since lost to the sea.^[3] Henry thought it "probably native in the south of Ireland".^[4] Dr Max Coleman of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, arguing in his 2002 paper on British elms that there was no clear distinction between species and subspecies, suggested that known or suspected clones of Ulmus minor, once cultivated and named, should be treated as cultivars, preferred the designation U. minor 'Stricta' to Ulmus minor var. stricta. The DNA of 'Stricta' has been investigated and the cultivar is now known to be a clone.^[5]

Mature trees labelled 'Cornish elm' are now largely restricted to Australia, where they were introduced in the 19th century (but see 'Stricta'-like cultivars below).^[6][7]