5th Jul, 2018

Discovery and Conservation of Rare Elms at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

A while ago, a certain discovery was made that on the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital site there are a collection of beautiful and now quite rare elm trees.  Some work has already been undertaken to identify and know more about these valuable elms, but the process is still ongoing.  The work so far has been carried out by Anne Crotty from the Norfolk County Council Conservation Department, Anne Edwards from the John Innes Centre, James Coleman from the Conservation Foundation and Dr Alec Gunner, a specialist in elm trees.  What has been discovered is that these elms are potentially a 'ulmus minor coritana hybrid', as their genetic identity seems to differ slighty in important respects from the other published genetic data on European elms.  The results are going to be sent to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information in order to find out more information, as some of the published genetic data on European elms can be quite limited.  What we do know for sure however is that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is home to a rare and precious elm hybrid.  To establish the trees' identity more fully requires further research, and this is being undertaken by all those involved in the discovery of the NNUH elms.  This research will be important in building a picture on the conservation of British elms in the future, and the trees in question are currently being tested for resistance to dutch elm disease which is a serious and deadly threat.

The trees on site form a beautiful and unique row, but because of their rare value, and the current status of European elm, the site is not open to the public and we hope the site will be respected as a sanctuary for the growth of some beautiful and rare trees.   The trees themselves grow from seeds and suckers, and the possibility of some kind of re-introduction programme is also being looked at.   

More details will surely follow as the research builds a clearer picture about the elms and their identity.