The hybrid elm cultivarUlmus × hollandica 'Wredei', also known as Ulmus × hollandica 'Dampieri Aurea' and sometimes marketed as Golden Elm, originated as a sport of the cultivar 'Dampieri' at the Alt-Geltow Arboretum, near Potsdam, Germany, in 1875.[1][2]
The tree is fastigiate when young,[3] but like its parent 'Dampieri' can become more spreading with age.[4] It has broad, crinkled leaves clustered on short shoots; when these are young they are suffused yellow, but as the tree ages they revert to green.
'Wredei' was distributed by the Louis van Houtte and Späth nurseries in the late 19th century (Louis van Houtte described it in 1881 as a "superbe nouveauté").[5][6] Späth supplied one tree, as U. montana fastigiata aurea, to the Dominion Arboretum, Ottawa, in 1893,[7] and three in 1902 to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1902 as U. montana fastigiata Dampieri Wredei.[8] 'Dampieri Aurea' appears in the 1902 catalogue of the Bobbink and Atkins nursery, Rutherford, New Jersey,[9] and in Kelsey's 1904 catalogue, New York.[10]Ulmus Wredei aurea was introduced to Australia in the early 20th century.[11] 'Wredei' is currently one of the most popular elms on sale in Europe owing to its colourful foliage and modest size.
The tree is named for Joseph Wrede (1831–1912), Royal Horticultural Inspector at the Royal State Nursery, Alt-Geltow, Potsdam, and curator of the Alt-Geltow Arboretum.[15]
Synonymy
Ulmus campestris 'Wredei' Hort. ex Lauche, Deutsch. Dendr. 347 (1880).
Brighton & Hove City Council, UK. NCCPG Elm Collection [2], listed as U. minor 'Wredei'. Old tree in Blakers Park; newly planted trees at Wild Park and Withdean.