Chinese Elm’s lacy bark and young leaves
Chinese Elm: A tree that doesn’t go Dutch
Sometimes a wild edible can be under your feet and you never notice, or in this case, over your head.
Anyone with any age on them will remember the huge elm trees that used to tower over many city streets in the United States. Then along came Dutch Elm Disease and these giant trees all but disappeared. I remember their demise for two reasons; how naked-looking many a main street looked after they were gone, and how hard it was to split elm wood. The tall graceful elm twisted when it grew– like the hatmatack — making the sizing and splitting for a wood stove back-straining work. My parents had a wood-fueled kitchen stove and a wood-fed cook stove in the basement. We also had a coal-burning neighbor who lost several large elms to the disease. Guess who got to split all that “free” wood?
Few trees can replace those great elms but a lot of smaller disease-resistant elms were imported from the orient about 80 years ago, among them the Chinese Elm, Ulmus parvifolia (UL-mus par-vih-FOLE-ee-uh.) Also called the Lacebark Elm, it’s the ornamental landscape tree of choice. It takes a nice shape, can be artistically weepy, and attractively sheds its bark leaving a mottled look making it very easy to identify. That’s good because it’s an edible and in many locales it has become naturalized. It has only one similar look alike, the Siberian Elm, Ulmus pumila, but the pumila has rough bark and fruits in the spring whereas the U. parvifolia has smooth bark and fruits in the fall. They’re both a tasty addition to the edible realm. The U. parvifolia is very common where I live with 16 of them less than 500 feet away. They flower about the first week of October here in Central Florida. The Siberian Elm is likewise edible but it flowers in the spring. Both trees are in season for only a couple of weeks to a month.
Chinese Elm Samara
The prime food from them are the seeds, called samaras (SAM-ah-rah.) They are edible raw or cooked. For prime samaras get them while their wings are still green. They can be eaten as they are, or tossed into salads or cooked dishes. Once the samara have dried and their wings turned papery the seeds are still edible. Rub them free of the dry wings and eat the seeds raw or cooked.
The small young leaves of each tree are also edible raw or cooked, very mild with a slight hint of bitterness and a texture similar to New Zealand spinach. The inner bark of both is edible cooked as well, if you’re starving. (Incidentally, the inner bark of the Ulmus fulva, the Slippery Elm, not shown, is also edible and very nutritious. The Slippery Elm is also called Ulmus Rubraand prefers cooler climes.) While the Chinese Elm is said to be hardy from zones 5 to 9, it has been spotted growing from Canada to Florida, Maine to California. It’s a common hedgerow and windbreak tree in the midwest and extremely common on college campuses and in city parks as it is disease resistant, fast growing, attractive and essentially care-free. Ulmus is the ancient Roman name for that tree and parvifolia means small-leaved. Fulva means orange-yellow and pumila means dwarf. Rubra means red.
The only issue I have with the Chinese Elm is that nearly every description of the tree says the leaves have small hairs on the underside. I’ve never found any there. There are several varieties so perhaps my local ones do not have that fine fuzz. The best I’ve been able to find is just a few extremely tiny hairs on the stem of very new young leaves. While U. parvifolia can grow to 80-feet tall it’s also a bonsai favorite producing great results in only 20 years or so. In southern areas it can semi-evergreen or evergreen keeping its leaves all year. In northern climes its leave turn light yellow, red and purple in the fall. It seeds are eaten by purple finch, red-breasted grosbeak and when they can get them, the cottontail rabbit
And now for a bit of elm trivia. As a boy and young man I hated to size up elm for the two wood stoves we had in the house. It’s a hardwood and excellent for heating but the tree twists as it grows. This makes splitting very difficult because a piece will not cleave easily, like ash or pine. Even if it did split there would be snags holding the two pieces together and you’d have to attack it with an ax to finally separate them. Elm was a huge amount of work compared to other woods, except the Hackmatack, which also twisted. However, that same twisting growth made Elm perfect for wagon wheel hubs because they would not split when oak spokes were driven into them. Incidentally, the wooden rim of the wheel before covered with an iron band was made of ash because it is flexible. So a wooden wheel was made from three trees, the hub elm, the spokes oak because of strength, and the rim from ash, all held tight by a metal band put on when red hot which then shrinks as it cooled and holds everything tightly together.
Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile
IDENTIFICATION:
The Chinese Elm is among the easiest trees to identify because of its mottled bark. It exfoliates bark constantly giving it a jigsaw puzzle look of brown, orange and olive. Has typical elm leave, small, about one inch long, half inch wide, uneven base, dark green on top, rough with usually a dozen or less pair of veins. Underside light green.
TIME OF YEAR:
Samaras in season, spring with the pumila, fall with the parvifolia, later seeds when the wings have drive. Young leaves in season, inner bark any time.
ENVIRONMENT:
Likes sunny areas and moist soil. Usually found in planned landscapes (so make sure the soil and water are wholesome.)
METHOD OF PREPARATION:
Green samaras wings and seed, raw or cooked; dried samaras winnowed of the dry wings, raw or cooked. Young leaves raw or cooked, inner bark cooked. Small leaves of the American/Florida elm are also edible.
HERB BLURB
This 2006 study was designed to investigate the effect of medicinal herb extract on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities against Helicobacter pylori, which is known as a ulcerogenic pathogen. The concentration of total phenolic compound of the Ulmus parvifolia was 15.12%), the highest among the ethanol extracts. The antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract of Ulmus parvifolia was 65.03% in DPPH assay. The antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract of Ulmus parvifolia was 27.70% in SOD assay. The antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract of the Ulmus parvifolia was 2.15in TBARS assay. Which all means it has antioxidant activity and is antibiotic.
When elm is frozen it will split much more easily.
Elm splits well after a night of zero degrees F or colder.
Are the samaras and young leaves of the Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila, which I understand is often mistakenly referred to as the Chinese Elm) also edible? They are ubiquitous here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Yes, the species can be used interchangeably.
I first read about samaras last fall – but was too late to harvest any – it is the Siberian sp in my area of Ontario. Today – after watching the laden branches wave outside my window – I attached a hanger to the handle of my broom – popped the screens out of my bedroom window – and ‘fished’ in a branch of one of the elms bordering my building. The cats watched with ‘concern’ as the branches came in and I harvested bunches of the beautiful green fruit into the waiting basket. A little light vinaigrette, a touch of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper…. Delicious!
Dear Mr. Deane… I’ve tried unsuccessfully to figure out if any elm’s “underbark” can replace slippery elm’s as something to help with esophageal lacerations/ulcers/etc. Do you know, or could you direct me to a place to learn more? I have a few trees that seem to fit the elm type (similar leaves, esp. sort of velcro feel on top -reminds me a bit of cleavers- and smooth underside) and would like to know if I could use them. Are there other uses for them, other than the bark? (I just learned I can eat the mulberry leaves… 🙂 ) Thank you.
Hi, I was very interested in the study you mentioned about the chinese elm and antibacterial effects against Heliobacter pylori, but the link didn’t work for me for the study. I wasn’t able to find it myself. Could you tell me the name of the study or where it was published?
Interesting! I’m currently working as an English teacher in Northwestern China, where there are elm trees all along the sidewalks. In the spring, when the elm seeds are bright and green, the Chinese pick and gather the samaras (which they call “yu-chian,” elm money), carefully sort them out, mix them with flour or cornmeal with a little bit of salt, steam them, and stir-fry them. It reminds me of Thanksgiving stuffing. It works as a side dish, a main starch (in place of rice or noodles), or even breakfast!
I guess one man’s treasure is another man’s trash, though… When I travelled to neighboring Kazakhstan, where I was surprised to find the same tree growing wild (I thought it was an ornamental brought to northwestern China from the east), the locals seemed appalled by the idea of eating samara. “Maybe in times of war or a famine…”
Interesting… thanks for sharing.
I live in the west central valley in co. We have an over abundance of elm trees. I’ve just been noticing that my 1 year old hens race to eat these seed blossoms. Thanks for this article of their ability to readily eat them as well as human consumption of these seed blossoms. I felt that this highly unknown by many of our locals. So… I would like to share this on my face book page. I see no icon on this page to so so. And my local gardening and food receipt friends would also be interested in this article, “Chinese Elm Takeout” by Deane.
Hello, I found your article by searching ‘elm seeds edible?’ My concern was that my painted turtle, who refuses fruit and veggies, was overdosing himself on the abundant elm seeds falling into his small pond these past few days. I am delighted to discover that he’s safe and healthy, and my instincts are correct that he wouldnt eat the ‘samara’ if they were toxic. I loved your article. P.S. I’m in North Dakota and I am guessing mine are Siberian Elm-but I will find out for sure.
I have been foraging and permaculturing for twenty years, and when I need information about plants that I can’t find elsewhere, I look here. After years of eating the samaras of Siberian elm and feeding the leaves in huge quantities to my goat, I began to wonder if I could safely eat some myself. Glad you wrote about this.
I am so happy to find this discussion. I have found the elm tree to be the most versatile and abundant plant I have ever met! I have such an affinity for the elm.
I missed the sumaras. Currently I have a million elm sprouts. Are those edible? Thanks!
We have Chinese Elms planted in our community that are from 10 to 20 years old. They are in young fruit right now (9/28) and are feeding a species that has not been mentioned. I found one of them crowded with bees. Elms are wind pollinated and the flowers are inconspicuous so I couldn’t figure out at first what the bees were up to. On close examination I could see the tiny anthers of the flower which I assume were providing pollen for the bees.
This is a Great article, I working on building a Tiny Forest system in Las Vegas, using native and adaptive trees to the desert climate. It will be a desert food forest, edibles used by the indigenous foraging cultures. I was looking for a canopy and I want to source from local communities nurseries and organizations with nurseries. Inalso learned alot from the messages left on this article. It would be great to connect. Mariopgutierrez@yahoo.com
I have a huge Elm tree in my front yard for more than 20 years, It gives us shade in summer and sun in winter. But I hardly take care of it, nor know its name. Last week a friend came for lunch and she asked what tree is this, so I took a picture and IDed it on a plant ID App. And I found this site after further search. Thank you so much for all the sharing and information. I can’t tell if mine is Glabra, Minor Mill, or Rubram as they look all similar to me in the App photos, and I have not noticed their flowering in all these years. (how ignorant…) In fact I am quite annoyed to see the young shoots coming from the ground everywhere in my yard now that it is spring in Melbourne, Australia, as the old tree is trying to pass life to the young generation I guess. I look forward to leaning more about this precious gift from the divine nature. With gratitudes!!!
I have a native Winged Elm, Ulmus alata. Are the leaves edible on it?
Yes though winged elms tend to be slightly more bitter than other elms.
Thanks for the great article. I have a young Cedar Elm, Ulmus crassifolia, from Texas, growing happily in Tucson caliche clay. Of course I’m wondering if the samaras will be edible. The leaves of this species are thicker so I’m also wondering if they, too, are edible? Thanks again.
You spoke about how the inner bark of the Chinese Elm was edible, but you gave no instructions of how to properly procure this edible inner bark. Does it hurt or scar the tree to take this edible part from the Chinese Elm ?