'Columella' Elm

Columella Elm (Ulmus 'Columella')

'Columella' is a European elm cultivar developed by the Dutch elm breeding program at Wageningen. It is distinguished by a strongly columnar (narrowly upright) form that suits constrained urban planting sites where conventional spreading elms would not fit.

Origin

'Columella' was developed by Hans Heybroek at the Dorschkamp Institute (now part of Wageningen University & Research) in the Netherlands as part of the long-running Dutch resistance breeding program initiated in the 1920s after the original Ophiostoma ulmi outbreak. The cultivar derives from a complex hybrid background incorporating European field elm (Ulmus minor) and Asian resistant species.

Commercial release came in 1989. Like other Dutch breeding releases, 'Columella' was developed with European urban applications in mind, but it has also been adopted to a lesser extent in North America.

Identification

Form: Distinctly narrow columnar — strongly upright with a tight branching habit

Mature size: 40–50 feet tall, only 10–15 foot crown spread

Leaves: Smaller than American elm — 2–3 inches, double-serrated, asymmetric base, dark green

Bark: Gray-brown, fissured with age

Growth rate: Moderate

Hardiness and adaptability

USDA hardiness zones: 5–8

Site preferences: Adaptable; tolerates urban conditions and a range of soil types

Stress tolerance: Drought-tolerant once established

Dutch Elm Disease resistance

'Columella' demonstrates high DED resistance. The cultivar has performed strongly in European field trials over more than three decades. Resistance is derived from the cultivar's hybrid Asian-European parentage.

The Dutch breeding program reports survival rates above 80% in inoculation-pressure trials, comparable to the top American hybrids (Heybroek 1993).

Landscape uses

Narrow urban right-of-way street trees where spreading cultivars cannot fit

Allée plantings where a tight columnar silhouette is aesthetically desired

Screening and privacy plantings

Specimen plantings in formal landscape designs

Limitations

Columnar form is distinctly different from classic American elm; not suitable for plantings seeking the spreading vase aesthetic

Less widely available in North America than American releases

Smaller mature size limits canopy contribution per tree

Performance in cold-region zones below 5 is unreliable

Similar cultivars

'Wanoux' (Vada) — another European narrow-form selection

'Sapporo Autumn Gold' — narrower Japanese elm cultivar

'Jefferson' — American elm with somewhat narrower-than-classic form

Related pages

What Cultivars Are Resistant to Dutch Elm Disease?

Disease-Resistant Varieties Guide

Elm Species: A Complete Guide

References

Heybroek, H. M. (1993). "The Dutch elm breeding program." In Dutch Elm Disease Research: Cellular and Molecular Approaches (pp. 16–25). Springer.

Solla, A., et al. (2005). "Genetic variation and heritability estimates of Ulmus minor and Ulmus pumila hybrids for budburst, growth and tolerance to Ophiostoma novo-ulmi." Investigación Agraria: Sistemas y Recursos Forestales, 14(1), 122–130.

Mittempergher, L., & Santini, A. (2004). "The history of elm breeding." Investigación Agraria: Sistemas y Recursos Forestales, 13(1), 161–177.