above: Obscured by the
larger trees around it,
the dwarf wych elm
is to the side of the foot path,
marked with a tag.

below: the same tree.

              After the dwarf scot's elm in Russell Square, up the road, was felled during the winter of 2008-2009, this is the only example in this area. Gordon square is worth visiting in its own right, because it is beautiful, but this example of a dwarf scot's elm is not nearly as imposing. It is barely more than a bush and is obscured by the trees around it.

              An elm of any description is something of a rarity, because this species of tree was severely affected by Dutch elm disease in the early 1970s, and not many of them survived. This disease has not gone away and is still a threat today

              Take a good look at the leaves, because they are typical elm leaves. Apart from noticing their unusual shape, if you look closely, you will see that the ribs do not meet at the middle; this is one of the signs that what you are looking at might be an elm. I refer to this as the Scots elm, but really, like all native British trees, and this is one of those for you to tick off your list, it is not unique to Britain. More commonly, it is known as the wych elm.