The elm tree has been known as elven, believed to be associated with elves.
It has also been associated with death and re-birth. This includes links to Burial Mounds and the later English tradition of using elm for coffins.
In Devon it was thought that if elm leaves fell prematurely then cattle disease would follow, and that elm trees were never struck by lightning.
In Cornwall, the maypole taken to the village on 30 April to be decorated for May Day was always made of elm.
A Scandanavian myth tells the tale of 3 of the Gods finding an ash and an elm lying on the sea shore and transforming them into the first humans. |
The tree became national news in the 1970s when large numbers were destroyed by the rapid spread of Dutch Elm Disease. The disease was spread by a bark beetle which carries the infection, and it is believed that the disease has recurred in episodes since Noelithic times. Wych elms are more resistant to it than English elms.
Elm seeds are generally sterile, and a good crop is only produced every 2 or 3 years. So new trees are usually produced by suckers sent out from the parent plant. This method of reproduction means that most elms are identical clones of one parent, so if one succumbs to a particular disease it is likely the rest will too.
Elm is a strong wood, and was often used for the dividing sections in cowsheds, because it could withstand the continual kicking from animal hooves. It was also used for wheels.
Straight trunks and branches were often used for early water pipes. Some put underground in London in 1613 were still good as new when uncovered in 1930. |
