Fully grown English Elms do not exist in London or in much of Britain, because of the devastation caused by the spread of Dutch Elm disease in the 1970s. Before that time, this tree was as common as any other tree in Britain, and it appears in many paintings by Constable. Hope is not lost for the re-emergence of this tree because it is thought that about four thousand years ago it was almost wiped out, also by Dutch Elm disease, and it recovered. However, this is not likely to happen in our life time. If you want to see a fully grown one, the best place to find them is in Sussex where they survived and in particular, Brighton.

              Take a close look at the leaves. You will see that the veins do not meet in the middle and that there is a slight asymmetry about the whole leaf, particularly where it meets the stalk, where one side is fatter than the other. This is true for all elms and is the best way of identifying them. They also have a unique nut.