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NAME: Chinese Elm

SPECIES / FAMILY:  Ulmus Parvifolia / Ulmaceae

OTHER COMMON NAME(S):  Lacebark Elm

CONDITIONS: sun-partial shade
 

PARTS:	EDIBLE	TASTE	RAW/COOK	SEASON
All
Shoots
Leaves	young		RAW/COOK	Spring
Stalk/Stem
Buds
Flowers
Fruits
Pods/Samaras	leaf wings		RAW/COOK	Fall
Seeds	immature			Fall
Nuts
Roots
Bark	inner		DRY/GRIND/COOK	All

 

PORTION: small-medium

 

COMMENT: Green samaras wings/pods and seed, 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. Dried samaras winnowed of the dry wings, raw or cooked. Young leaves raw or cooked, inner bark cooked.(2) Inner bark - A mucilaginous texture, often dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread.(1) Green samaras of various elms look like little fried eggs.(http://www.foragingtexas.com/2006/04/slippery-elm.html). The Siberian Elm, Ulmus pumil has rough bark and fruits in the spring whereas the U. parvifoliahas smooth bark and fruits in the fall.(2)

 

CAUTION:

 

NUTRITION/MEDICINAL:  Inner contains about 34.4% protein, 28.2% fat, 17% carbohydrate, 5% ash. Antidote;  Demulcent;  Diuretic;  Expectorant;  Febrifuge;  Hypnotic;  Lithontripic. The leaves are antidote and lithontripic. The stem bark is demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, hypnotic and lithontripic. The flowers are used in the treatment of fevers and neuritis.(1)

 

LOOK-A-LIKES:  

 

POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES: 

 

OTHER USES: Shelterbelt;  Wood. Fairly resistant to maritime exposure, it can be grown in a shelter belt.(1)

 

SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):

1. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ulmus+parvifolia
2. http://www.eattheweeds.com/chinese-elm-a-tree-that-doesnt-go-dutch-2
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia