Chinese Elm - Snowflake

[Matt S]

Years ago I was given a cutting of a Chinese Elm that had thrown a sport that caused a white splash on the leaves. I was told it was called a "snowflake" but I haven't been able to verify that name. The leaves are quite pretty and I liked the Autumn colour, going a deep red when the weather was cold enough.

It sat in a pot for about 2 years when I decided to plant it in the ground. It took off pretty quickly and during the second year I chopped the trunk just after Christmas to start the process of building movement and taper. By that time it had grown to over 2 meters tall. I selected a new leader and let it grow for the rest of the season and most of the next. By now it was March 2016 so I did a final chop and let it go one last time.

So here we are. I dug this up last night and took a few pics before I planted it into a tub. As always I apologise for the poor quality photos but it was late, cold, dinner was waiting, etc etc.

Chinese Elm snowflake 1.JPG

Chinese Elm snowflake 2.JPG

Chinese Elm snowflake 3.JPG

There are a lot of large branches that need tidying up but it's good to see what it looked like when it was first lifted. It's about 200mm at the base and 290mm tall.

Matt.

[Watto]

Great stock. You should now have plenty of new stock as the roots that were left in the ground start to shoot in spring. If you wouldn't mind. may we see the tree in full leaf so we can appreciate the "snowflakes"?

[treeman]

The white flecks are a virus which cannot be cured and is contagious. If will not affect the tree growth much.
Sterilize your tools between trees.

[Matt S]

Hi Watto,

I'd forgotten about the bonus root cuttings in the ground, but you're right! More trees!

Mike,

Pretty sure it's not a virus. Couple of observations:

- The pattern doesn't move or spread on the tree. A leaf either has it or it doesn't, and never changes through the lifecycle of the leaf.
- Never seen a Chinese Elm spontaneously develop the pattern, and they've been sitting side by side with all my other elms. I often go from tree to tree with the same scissors. Same with all the other people I know who have cuttings from the same tree.
- This would have to be my most vigorous elm.

Anyway, here's what it looks like:

snowflake.jpg

Matt.

[EdwardH]

Perhaps it is a variegated leaf form of Chinese elm? Found the info below on Winter Hill Tree Farm's website

Chinese variegated Elm

Botanical Name:
Ulmus parvifolia Frosty

Common Name:
Chinese variegated Elm

Description:
Small tree with lustrous dark green leaves mottled silver/white and trimmed with silvery margins, variegation slowly recedes as the season progresses until nothing more than the teeth along the edges are white. Autumn colour is yellow or reddish purple, will be semi-deciduous in warmer climates. Tolerant of drought, heat and humidity, pollution, coastal, and windy conditions.

[Matt S]

Hi Edward,

I'm familiar with the Frosty cultivar and this is similar, but Frosty leaves are really small and have distinct white edges (I think it was meant to be a dwarf variety). I've just looked online and there's a cultivar called Blizzard which is closer in appearance.

I'll ask around at the SA Bonsai meeting tonight and see if anyone remembers where it came from.

Matt.

[treeman]

Hi Watto,

I'd forgotten about the bonus root cuttings in the ground, but you're right! More trees!

Mike,

Pretty sure it's not a virus. Couple of observations:

- The pattern doesn't move or spread on the tree. A leaf either has it or it doesn't, and never changes through the lifecycle of the leaf.
- Never seen a Chinese Elm spontaneously develop the pattern, and they've been sitting side by side with all my other elms. I often go from tree to tree with the same scissors. Same with all the other people I know who have cuttings from the same tree.
- This would have to be my most vigorous elm.

Anyway, here's what it looks like:

snowflake.jpg

Matt.

Ok that looks like it might be a relatively stable variegation. Most of those are also caused by virus too. I had some white fleck appear on one of my corkys a few years ago. White patches here and there. Over the next two years it had spread to 2 others. I burned them all. I have not seen it since. Mine gave a little distortion to the leaf as well. Yours does not seem to. I would keep an eye on your other elms just in case and take care with pruning. I do have a variegated Ulmus carpinifolia (silver elm) and I suspect that the infection came from that though I have no proof.

[Matt S]

No worries Mike, thanks for the heads up.

I've noticed that the white splashes are more pronounced on the more mature branches where the growth is slowest, and often missing on strong rampant growth. Whenever I've cut off all the branches I've wondered if I might lose the snowflakes, but it comes back every time.

Matt.

[treeman]

I've noticed that the white splashes are more pronounced on the more mature branches where the growth is slowest, and often missing on strong rampant growth

.

Yep that's how they do virus indexing. Propagate from the fastest growing point because the virus has not had time to infect the new tissue so much. Then they grow that propagation on and take further cuttings from the fastest shoots on that and so on....Until they end up with clean material.

[Matt S]

Yesterday I was in the Adelaide parklands and found a full grown example of something that looks similar to the Snowflake variety, but I noticed that the pattern is more prominent on the newer leaves which is the opposite to mine. It looks closer to the "Blizzard" sport but I just read that Blizzard first arose in 2001 in the States and this tree looks older than 15 years. Anyway, it's another source for future cuttings if anyone is interested.

snowflake1.jpg

snowflake2.jpg

Matt.

[Kevin]

Hello Matt,

I have found your variegated Elm quite interesting and thank-you for continuing the progression.
The mature tree also differs somewhat to the Chinese Elms normal broad spreading canopy that i see growing around Sydney.

Do you have any recent photos of your little tree?

Kevin

[Matt S]

Hi Kevin,

Not much to show at the moment but here's a picture. It's been planted in a plastic washbowl and after a few months of strong growth I've recently removed a lot of unwanted branches.

snowflake progression1.JPG

Matt.