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Is this a Siberian elm? #265421

Asked July 27, 2015, 8:02 PM EDT

A relative of mine saw some small trees in my yard and thought they might be Siberian elms. A website I looked at said Siberian elms have leaves that are about 5 cm long and are symmetrical at the base. The trees in my yard are symmetrical at the base but have longer leaves. One tree has leaves about 7 cm long and another has leaves 10 - 12 cm long. I have attached photos of the leaves of the two trees. Can you help me identify the trees? Thank you. Mark Lex

Washington County Minnesota

Expert Response

I'm sorry, but I'm not able to make a definitive identification based on two photographs of foliage. Siberian elm and American elm are quite similar species, which means that several identifying features besides leaves (seeds, trunk, overall size and form, flowers) might be needed. It is true that Siberian elms have smaller leaves, but there is great variability in leaf size. If this identification is of importance to you, you could call an arborist to come onsite to try to identify your tree:
http://www.isa-arbor.com/findanarborist/findanarborist.aspx
Dennis in St. Louis Park Replied July 28, 2015, 11:43 AM EDT

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