The avenue of 100 disease-resistant elms in Pontcanna Fields, Cardiff, in April
This year I am following an avenue of 100 disease-resistant elms, Ulmus ‘New Horizon’, in Pontcanna Fields, Cardiff.
When I visited just over a month ago there were little red flowers with no petals. Now these have disappeared and the trees are greening up with their pretty, slightly lopsided leaves.
These leaves are “alternate” (spiral, not exactly opposite each other), with simple, “doubly serrate” margins (meaning there are smaller serrations within the serrations), asymmetric at the base and “acuminate” (tapering) at the apex.
The green leaves are sprouting
Some of the trees are leafing later than others and on this one you can see the alternate leaf pattern quite easily
There was plenty of blue sky when I visited this week
You can see the asymmetric shape of the leaves here
A closer look at the double serrations and tapering tip
General view of the elm avenue
I must admit that I was so taken by the arrival of the leaves that I forgot to look for the fruits that had developed from last month’s flowers until I saw them through the camera lens and recognised the distinctive shape…
Green elm fruits
The fruit is a heart-shaped “samara” coloured with chlorophyll, meaning it can use photosynthesis even before the leaves sprout. The shape means that when it dries the wind can carry it farther away than a seed that just drops to the ground. I hope I don’t miss that time of year.
Chlorophyll-flushed samaras
A samara is a simple dry fruit. It is formed from one carpel (female sex organ including the ovary) and the single seed nearly fills the pericarp shell around it, but doesn’t stick to it. The flattened wing of papery tissue develops from the ovary wall.
A samara is a sort of “achene”, from the Greek ἀ, meaning not, and χαίνειν (chainein), gaping. An achene is indehiscent, meaning it does’t open up to release the seed.
A general view looking back towards the new red-brick houses built near the field
There are now flowers around the elms…
Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
Celandine, Ficaria verna
I managed to get this out of focus – daisy, Bellis perennis
The elms have a pleasing shape as they grow bigger
The lichen-covered bark looks very mature even in these young trees, which were planted in 2004
Looking along the avenue to Blackweir Bridge over the River Taff
The elms seen from the bridge over the weir
Thanks to John over at the “Rivendell” garden blog – the name made me think of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I remembered an old painting of Lothlorien, realm of the Elves. It has nothing like the expanse and complexity of the movie version, but the image’s evenly spaced young trees remind me a little of the elm avenue…
JRR Tolkien’s Lothlorien
I’m enjoying this! I hope you are enjoying your tree following, too.
Find out more about the 100 elms here.
Find out more about tree following here.
The Squirrelbasket 
I like your description of the leaves being “slightly lopsided”. I’d never thought of them like that before.. 🙂
Sounds slightly more friendly than “asymmetric”, I always think.
I’m sure the big British field elms of my youth had leaves that were even more lopsided than these new ones.
All the best 🙂
I have a tuberous begonia that I love because the leaves are not a symmetrical mirror image, but a definite left and right like a hand. Interesting leaves make a plant fascinating to me.
Tuberous begonias do have beautiful leaves, as you say, especially tender ones like the “aluminium begonias”, which I can’t grow as I let them get too wet and they go mouldy…
I suspect such begonias are hardy in your climate.
Best wishes 🙂
The elms are looking great! I like the samaras–“simple”, “elegant” come to mind–especially the ones that are backlit in the first photo of them.
I like the name samara, as well as the things themselves. It can be a girl’s name as well as for many other uses and even the name of places, rivers and cultures – or at least that’s what Wikipedia says…
All the best 🙂
good close up photos of the leaves, they look very textural, the seed pods look light and airy, I find it interesting that trees of the same species next to each other leaf out at different time, the downy birch I followed last year was one of the last birches to come into leaf, I haven’t done the rounds of my rowans I think they too leaf out at different times, to me it shows each tree is an individual, Frances
Thanks for commenting – I tried to see some pattern, that maybe the trees nearer or farther away from the river’s wet and warming effects were more or less advanced, but no luck…
All the best 🙂
Fascinating stuff. I learnt lots of new things thanks. There are elms down the lane here which I’ve been keeping an eye on. Their seeds are dropping like mad at the mo. I’ve planted four but no idea if they’ll grow. Bit of an experiment!
I wonder what species yours are. Are they our old-fashioned English elms, like the ones we have lost to Dutch elm disease here?
I found your blog post from a couple of years ago about native British trees (here), which is very interesting…
I think I may see if I can germinate a seed, too, but I suppose I will have to wait until they dry and drop.
All the best 🙂
I was surprised they were dropping already, it seems way too early. I think they are English Elms, I know they’ve survived better as small hedgerow trees. I didn’t realise what they were until last autumn, so I’m thrilled to discover them so close. Glad the native tree post was useful. I’m endlessly fascinated by old trees and their history in the landscape x
I’m sure I heard somewhere on the radio the other day that they are bringing back hedgerows…
All the best 🙂
The tree following idea is genius. Having a fixed point to visit through the year is a real tonic. If everybody did this I can’t help thinking that the world would be a much happier place.
It’s not too late for you to join in, even if it’s only a few times a year!
I apologise that I haven’t been commenting very much on your blog, even though I can see there is a lot in it that interests me. Annoyingly I keep on forgetting to look in the “WordPress reader”, which means I am alerted to non WordPress blogs I have signed up to by email, then miss all the fellow Worpressians! I have resolved to get my act together.
All the best 🙂