Cedar Elm

The cedar elm grows 50-70 ft. high and 40-60 ft. wide. There are corky ridges on the drooping branches and scaly bark—small, rough-textured dark-green leaves. Leaves are much smaller than the American Elms', and fall foliage is yellow except in the southern part of its range, where it is evergreen. This is one of the smallest native elms with a rounded crown of drooping branches.

A native elm that is commonly planted for shade in east Texas. It is often found in its range with Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei), also called Cedar Elm, because of its rough, cedar scale-like leaves. Juniperus ashei is the Latin name for "thick leaves."

An attractive shade tree with a hardiness and drought tolerance that grows well in various soil types, the cedar elm is a good choice for shade. It brings vivid yellow color to the landscape in autumn. No need to rake the small leaves” they compost nicely. Young trees have corky "wings" on their branches. The Mourning Cloak and Question Mark butterflies use it for larval food. It Withstands drought and heavy, infertile soils. Susceptible to Dutch elm disease. Reasonably fast-growing. They are known to cause severe allergic reactions.