Share

Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Search native plant database:
Name:    
Family:    

Ulmus alata (Winged elm)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Ulmus alata Michx.

Winged elm, Wahoo

Ulmaceae (Elm Family)

USDA Symbol: ULAL

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Winged elm grows 30-40 ft. high with spreading branches that form a round-topped, oblong head. Opposite corky ridges occur on the branches in one plane. Dark-green leaves alternate, ovate, oblique, doubly serrate, acuminate, small. Leaves may turn dull yellow in fall. Fruit a samara, brown.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the fibrous inner bark was made into rope for fastening covers of cotton bales. The common and Latin species names refer to the distinctive broad, corky wings present on some twigs; Wahoo was the Creek Indian name.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Lanceolate , Oblanceolate
Leaf Venation: Pinnate
Leaf Margin: Double-serrate
Leaf Apex: Acute
Leaf Base: Cordate , Oblique
Fruit Type: Samara
Size Notes: To 24 m tall.
Leaf: Green
Fruit:
Size Class: 36-72 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow , Green
Bloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MO , MS , NC , OK , SC , TN , TX , VA
Native Distribution: S. VA to s. IL, c. MO & KS, s. to c. FL, OK & s.e TX
Native Habitat: Stream banks; woods; thickets
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Cold Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Variety of soils; best on terraces and bottomlands; may be somewhat weedy; fast growing; medium-lives.
Conditions Comments: Easily propagated from seed. Root Hormone is recomended for cuttings. Sometimes planted as a street tree in the southern states. Susceptible to Dutch elm disease. Often infected with powdery mildew.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Fast growing, shade tree, attractive.
Use Wildlife: Cover, Nesting site, Substrate-insectivorous birds, Seeds-granivorous birds, Seeds-Small mammals, Leaves-rabbit, Browse.
Use Medicinal: Indians seeped inner bark bark for diarrhea and to ease childbirth.
Use Other: Bark fibers woven into baskets and rope.
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Question Mark butterfly.

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Ulmus alata is a larval host and/or nectar source for:
Question Mark
(Polygonia interrogationis)

Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Softwood Cuttings
Description: Elms germinated quickly from fresh, untreated seeds. Sow spring-ripening species immediately after collection; fall-ripening after winter storage and stratification. Easily transplanted.
Seed Collection: Collect seeds by raking from the ground soon after they fall or by stripping them from the branches. Air-dry a few days before storing. Store in sealed, refrigerated containers.
Seed Treatment: Fall-ripened seeds may be stratified for 30-60 days at 36-40 degrees.
Commercially Avail: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Crosby Arboretum - Picayune, MS
Texas Master Naturalists - Lost Pines Chapter - Bastrop, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 355 - Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest (1991) Miller, G. O.
Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
Bibref 297 - Trees of Central Texas (1984) Vines, Robert A.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Ulmus alata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Ulmus alata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ulmus alata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2012-10-15
Research By: LAL

Go back