Skye Flora

Wych Elm

Ulmus glabra

Photo © Carl Farmer
7 Jun 2003 Portree, Isle of Skye

Frequent in woods and scrubby areas.

A tree up to c 40 m high. Leaves c 8-18 cm. Fruit c 15-20 mm long.

Skye ID: Leaf blade bulges more on one side than the other at base.

Other features: Skye's only Elm. Upper leaf surface rough, leaf-stalk < 3 mm. Flowers out before the leaves, unstalked with a tuft of red stamens. Fruit a pale flat round disk with the seed in the centre.

Photo © Carl Farmer
28 Apr 2004 Portree, Isle of Skye
Furthest left fruit c 17 mm long

Photo © Carl Farmer
28 Apr 2004 Portree, Isle of Skye
Main leaf 2.4 cm across at widest

Photo © Carl Farmer
21 May 2006 Ord, Isle of Skye

The tree on the left is green due to the fruits; it had no leaves out yet, though others nearby did, and the one in the third photo on this page had leaves more than three weeks earlier (in a different year).

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