Ulmus alata, the听winged elm听辞谤听wahoo, is a small- to medium-sized听听迟谤别别听听to the woodlands of the southeastern and south-central United States. The species is tolerant of a wide range of soils, and of ponding, but is the least shade-tolerant of the North American elms. Its growth rate is often very slow, the trunk increasing in diameter by less than听5听mm (3鈦�16听in) per year. The tree is occasionally considered a nuisance as it readily invades old fields, forest clearings, and rangelands, proving particularly difficult to eradicate with herbicides.
Description
As its common and scientific听names imply, winged elm is most easily recognized by the very broad, thin pair of corky wings that form along the branchlets after a couple of years. The tree generally grows to a maximum height and breadth of about 13听m 脳听13听m (43听ft 脳听43听ft), although on fertile alluvial soils such as those of the听, some specimens have reached double this height (see 'Notable trees' below). The crown can be either rounded or pyramidal; the branches are pendulous.听The leaves are comparatively small for the genus, less than听6.5听cm (2+1鈦�2听in) long and less than听2.0听cm (3鈦�4听in) broad,听听to narrowly听, thin in texture, and smooth above with serrate or doubly serrate margins. The leaves turn bright yellow in Autumn. The wind-pollinated听听听flowers are borne on long听听in March and April before the leaves appear. The reddish听听are also relatively small, less than听8听mm (5鈦�16听in) long, narrowly elliptic with two long incurving stigmas at the tip,听and usually disperse before the end of April.