+
+
Ulmus 'Plantijn'

Ulmus 'Plantijn'

Plantijn Elm

Download PDF

Description

Ulmus ‘Plantijn' (‘Plantijn’ elm) is a broad oval elm that later develops a densely branched vase shape, six to eight metres wide, and fifteen to eighteen metres tall. This selection grows at a slower rate than ‘Lobel’ and ‘Dodoens’ and continues to develop an upright main trunk at a mature age but bifurcates or forks, producing dense side branches which grow erect from the main trunk: pruning in the juvenile phase is therefore key. In older trees, the grey twigs hang down decoratively, further enhancing the vase shape. ‘Plantijn’ is part of the Wageningen five and was released in 1973 as the third generation of elms by the Dutch Forestry Research Station ‘De Dorschkamp’ in Wageningen, the Netherlands. The tree is a cross between Ulmus glabra ‘Exoniensis’, Ulmus wallichiana and Ulmus minor and was named after medieval French book printer and publisher Christoffel Plantijn.

The foliage of Ulmus ‘Plantijn’ is greyish green, smooth and curls up in dry weather, turning yellow in the autumn. The light green flowers appear around March and April and are arranged in dense clusters on short stems. These are followed by flat, winged, round brown nuts. ‘Plantijn’ elm has a smooth, silver-grey bark that later becomes deeply grooved with vertical, black-grey grooves. 

Ulmus ‘Plantijn’ is the least wind resistant of the Wageningen five - although still tolerates some exposure to wind. Paving, flooding and wet soils are not a problem and this tree thrives on moist, airy soils. Ulmus ‘Plantijn’ ultimately becomes the broadest of the Wageningen five, it has good resistance to Dutch elm disease and is ideal for use in, amongst others, avenues, wide streets in road verges, parks, industrial sites and landscape situations.

Types of planting

Tree types

standard trees shade trees

Topiary on stem

fval espalier fval pleached

Use

Location

street avenue park central reservation traffic areas, industrial zones countryside

Pavement

none none open open sealed sealed

Planting concepts

landscape planting solid planting urban planting

Characteristics

Crown shape

wide oval wide oval vase-shaped vase-shaped

Crown structure

dense dense

Height

15 - 18 m

Width

6 - 8 m

Winter hardiness zone

5B - 9B

Aspects

Wind

slightly tolerant to wind

Soil

loess sabulous clay peaty heavy clay light clay loamy soil

Nutrient level

moderately rich in nutrients rich in nutrients

Soil moisture level

moist wet

Light requirements

sun

pH range

neutral alkaline

Extreme environments

tolerates air pollution tolerant to short-term flooding resistant to dutch elm disease 3

Get to know Ebben Nurseries

Visit our nurseries with multi-stem trees, climbing trees, trees for avenues and parks characteristic trees and solitary shrubs.

Make an appointment

Place order or further information?

Order this plant? Or would you like further information about Ulmus 'Plantijn'? Make an appointment for a detailed planting recommendation.
Call +31(0) 485 31 20 21 or email one of our advisors directly.
Our planting advisors

Photos

Magnify
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
characteristic characteristic
Ulmus 'Plantijn' characteristic
high-stem standard tree
Ulmus 'Plantijn' standard tree
leaves leaves
Ulmus 'Plantijn' leaves
leaves leaves
Ulmus 'Plantijn' leaves
leaves leaves
Ulmus 'Plantijn' leaves
leaves leaves
Ulmus 'Plantijn' leaves
leaves leaves
Ulmus 'Plantijn' leaves
fruits fruits
Ulmus 'Plantijn' fruits
bark bark
Ulmus 'Plantijn' bark
bark bark
Ulmus 'Plantijn' bark
twigs twigs
Ulmus 'Plantijn' twigs

Flowers

Flowers

raceme discrete

Flower colour

pale green

Flowering period

March - April

Leaves

Leaf colour

grey-green

Leaves

deciduous ovate big smooth serrate

Autumn colour

yellow

Fruits

Fruit colour

brown

Fruits

discrete winged raceme nut

Bark

Bark colour

grey grey-black

Bark

slightly furrowed

Twigs

Twig colour

brown

Twigs

vertical branches thickly branched long shoots

Root system

Root system

deep shallow extensive highly branched central root on own root

For and by green professionals

The TreeEbb is a platform for and by green professionals, in which we collect knowledge and experience from the sector and make this available for users. All the details and photos are free to use for non-commercial purposes. Want to share your tree knowledge? Send photographs and additional information to treeebb@ebben.nl

Contact
Show filters Hide filters
Show comparison
View mood board
×
TreeEbb

TreeEbb

Geographic location
Winter hardiness zone
OK
Coastal area
OK
Use
Location
OK
Pavement
OK
Host plant/forage plant
OK
Planting concepts
OK
Types of planting
Tree types
OK
Multi-stemmed trees
OK
Crown structure
OK
Crown shape
OK
Topiary on stem
OK
Topiary
OK
Height
m
-
m
OK
Width
m
-
m
OK
Aspects
Wind
OK
Soil
OK
Nutrient level
OK
Soil moisture level
OK
Light requirements
OK
PH range
OK
Extreme environments
OK
Stage of succession
OK
Plant characteristics
Flowering period
January
-
December
OK
Flower colour
OK
Leaf colour
OK
Autumn colour
OK
Fruit colour
OK
Bark colour
OK
Special features
OK
Search
English
View mood board
Show comparison
Your selection:
Sluiten

Winter hardiness

A plant's winter hardiness is the coldest area in which it is frost-resistant. This is based on the average annual minimum temperature. Winter hardiness zones are thirteen different frost zones in steps of 5.5 degrees Celsius. This format is an international standard for the hardiness of plants. The zones in which the plant is frost-resistant are always included in the description of trees and other vegetation.

Winter hardiness is a genetic characteristic and is not influenced by the location in which the plant is cultivated. This means that a plant that has been cultivated for many years in winter-hardiness zone 6 but has a winter hardiness of 3 is perfectly suited for replanting in a colder zone. It will thrive there thanks to its genetic characteristics.

When choosing planting for a project, the winter hardiness of the plants is extremely important. By choosing species that match the zone in which the project is being created, it is possible to ensure that plants can withstand the minimum temperature in that area.

Winter hardiness map
Planet Proof
MVO-Nederland
ISO-9001
ISO-14001
CO²-presentatieladder
Boomfeestdag
British Asssociation of Landscape Industries

FIND OUT MORE

CONTACT

T +31 (0)485 31 20 21
F +31 (0)485 31 38 88
E info@ebben.nl

STEP INTO OUR GREEN WORLD!

Visit our 550-hectare nurseries and see our 1,400-m² roof garden.
Make an appointment

STAY UP TO DATE

Sign up for our newsletter
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SUBSCRIBING
© 2025  •  Boomkwekerij Ebben B.V.  •  Disclaimer  •  Privacy and cookie statement  •  Terms and conditions  •  Purchase conditions
STAY UP TO DATE
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SUBSCRIBING
×
Cookie settings

We use cookies when offering electronic services. A cookie is a small, simple file that is sent with the pages of this website and stored on the hard disk of your computer by your browser. This allows us to combine various requests for pages on the website and analyse users’ behaviour, for example. You can indicate which cookies you wish to accept using the settings below. Bear in mind that not accepting cookies will mean that part of the functionality of this website may not be available. You can find more information about the use of data and the various cookies in our privacy and cookie declaration.