Accolade Elm is a cross of Japanese and Chinese species selected for its vase shape, vigorous growth, excellent drought tolerance and good strong yellow fall color. It has excellent disease resistance to both Elm Yellows and to the dreaded Dutch Elm Disease. It is from the collections of the Morton Arboretum and is released through Chicagoland Grows Plant Introduction Program * through local garden centers. Mayor Daley chose Accolade Elm to bring elms back to Grant Park in 2002. Other elms developed by Dr. George Ware and his staff at the Morton Arboretum and distributed by Chicagoland Grows are Vanguard Elm, Triumph Elm, and Commendation Elm.
| Accolade Elm - Ulmus x 'Accolade' Height: 75 feet / Spread: 45 feet Photographs of one of the original Accolade Elms at The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois, USA. [Family Ulmaceae Main Page Graphics] [Tree Encyclopedia Main Page Graphics] [Trees Table of Contents] |
 This Morton Accolade™ Elm is one of my favorite trees. |
 May 31 |  December 25 |
Accolade Elm in Autumn splendor, October 19th.
Morton Accolade™ is an elm cultivar derived from a hybrid planted at the Morton Arboretum in 1924, which itself originated as seed collected from a tree at the Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts. although this tree was originally identified as Ulmus crassifolia, it is now is believed to have been a hybrid of the Japanese Elm Ulmus davidiana var. japonica and Wilson's Elm, the latter now sunk as another form of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica. This tree at the Morton Arboretum is noted for its resemblance to the American Elm Ulmus americana, its upright-arching branches creating the familiar vase-shape. Moreover, in its 80+ years it had survived three epidemics of Dutch Elm Disease there unscathed. However, two trees included in trials at the University of Minnesota were found to be afflicted by the disease in 2004, although one appears to have recovered completely. 'Morton' has now been cloned and promoted by the Chicagoland Grows corporation as a potential substitute for the innumerable American Elms lost to disease, although the tree does not grow as large as the iconic native elm, reaching scarcely 20 m at maturity; its glossy, deep green leaves are also markedly smaller.
'Morton' is reputed to grow well in almost all soils save those excessively wet, and is notably drought-tolerant and winter hardy. The tree grows vigorously at first, gaining as much as one meter per annum, but slows to approximately half that rate with maturity. Thus, a typical 20 year-old tree could be expected to have reached 10 m in height with a crown about 5 m in width. 'Morton' has also proved to be highly resistant to elm yellows and the elm leaf beetle. It is currently being evaluated in the National Elm Trial coordinated by Colorado State University. The tree will not be commercially available in Europe until at least 2010, but specimens grown from seeds are featured in the Butterfly Conservation elm trials in Hampshire, England, where they have grown with extraordinary vigor, and proven very tolerant of local conditions, notably waterlogged soils in winter. Hybrid cultivars |
Accolade Elm in Autumn splendor, October 19th.
Accolade Elm Bark
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