Seeds and cuttings I collect around North Carolina, what they turned out to be, and how to grow them for a NC Piedmont native-plant nursery.
Ulmus alata · Ulmaceae
The corky-winged elm of Piedmont uplands. Its samaras ripen in spring and have to be sown fresh.
Community photos of Ulmus alata to study before I head out: leaf, flower or bract, ripe fruit, bark, whole plant.
Common throughout the NC Piedmont and into the Coastal Plain; a characteristic dry-upland tree in Person County and central NC. Verified via NC Extension and BONAP/USDA county records.
Best bet: Sow fresh, immediately. Elm samaras are essentially non-dormant and lose viability within weeks of drying, so direct spring sowing is the highest-percentage route: scatter whole or lightly de-winged seed on a moist flat or bed, barely cover at about 1/8 in, keep evenly damp at 70–85°F, and expect germination in roughly 2–4 weeks, same season. If seed has to be held, air-dry briefly, refrigerate dry, then give 30–60 days cold-moist stratification at 36–40°F before sowing. Fresh spring sowing beats stored seed every time.
A true Piedmont upland native, genuinely happy on heavy clay, hot humid summers and drought-prone poor ground where most nursery stock struggles (zones 6a–9b, so 7b/8a sits well within range). More resistant to Dutch elm disease than American elm, though not immune, and elm leaf beetle is worth watching, so avoid monoculture blocks. Two cautions: it sets prolific seed and root-sprouts, so it volunteers readily into old fields, beds and fencerows; and the corky-winged twigs make it only a modest ornamental. Best used as a tough, fast, wildlife-value shade or hedgerow tree.
Each look-alike with the one character that settles it. Tap a photo to zoom.
No corky twig wings, and a much larger vase-shaped bottomland tree with leaves 4–6 in (winged elm 1.5–3 in) and strongly lopsided leaf bases
Leaf surface harshly sandpaper-rough with a very lopsided base; twigs downy and wingless; samara hairy only over the seed with hairless margins
No twig wings, small nearly-symmetrical leaves, and round deeply notched glabrous samaras. A weedy invasive, so not one to propagate
Warty knobby bark and a single dark drupe rather than a papery samara; the leaf has 3 veins from the base instead of pinnate elm venation
Winged elm is the elm I actually trip over in the Piedmont uplands. Not the storybook American elm of river bottoms; a tough medium tree of dry ridges, fencerows, old fields, roadsides and powerline cuts on the heavy red clay around Roxboro. Two things to watch for, at two scales. From a distance in February and March the crown flushes a haze of tiny reddish flowers on bare branches, and by March into April that haze becomes a fog of pale reddish-tan samaras, which is my cue to collect. Up close it's the twig: broad thin corky wings running in opposite pairs down the branchlets. No other native Piedmont elm wears them so boldly.
The timing here is the thing that catches people out. Winged-elm seed ripens in March and April, into early May, not fall. Show up in autumn and there is nothing on the tree. I time it to when the clusters dry from red to tan and the wings shed at a touch, then strip whole clusters or catch a fresh drop on a tarp. Check that the central seeds are plump rather than flat and aborted, because a big fraction of every elm crop is empty.
Then sow fresh, immediately. Elm samaras are essentially non-dormant and lose viability within weeks of drying, which makes direct spring sowing far and away the best route: scatter whole or lightly de-winged seed on a moist flat, barely cover, keep damp at 70–85°F, and germination comes in about 2–4 weeks, the same season. Only if seed has to be stored do I air-dry, refrigerate dry, and give 30–60 days cold-moist stratification at 36–40°F before sowing. Seedlings size up fast enough for a first-year liner.
Work the dry upland edges around Roxboro first: Mayo Lake Park and Hyco Lake shorelines, Person County game lands, and any old-field fencerow or powerline right-of-way. Farther south, Eno River State Park, Occoneechee Mountain in Hillsborough, and Duke Forest all hold reliable winged elm. Scout during Feb–Mar bloom to mark trees, then return in Mar–Apr with a tarp for ripe seed.