English elms are hermaphrodites, meaning both male and female reproductive parts are contained within the same flower. Flowers are dark pink to red and hang in tassels, appearing between February and March.

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Once they’ve been pollinated by wind, the flowers develop into tiny winged fruits, known as samaras. These are dispersed by wind.

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Despite its common name, it may have been introduced to the UK by Bronze Age farmers, or could be native to southern England only. In the past, English elm dominated the British landscape, but has been ravaged by Dutch elm disease since the 1960s. Now it is only found occasionally in hedgerows or woodland.

Elm grows best in well-drained soil in hedgerows and woodland. It can usually tolerate a range of pH levels in soil.

Many birds and some small mammals eat elm seeds and the leaves provide food for the caterpillars of many moths. Caterpillars of the white-letter hairstreak butterfly feed on elms and the species has declined dramatically since Dutch elm disease arrived in the UK.

Its timber was immensely valuable in making coffin boards, ships, piles for wharves and piers.

Elm wood is strong and durable with a tight-twisted grain, and is resistant to water. It has been used in decorative turning, and to make boats and boat parts, furniture, wheel hubs, wooden water pipes, floorboards and coffins.

Until 1967 the English Elm dominated the landscape of East Anglia and the whole of Britain. In that year a load of infected logs from North America brought a more virulent strain of Dutch Elm Disease to Britain.

This disease originally came to Europe in 1910 from Asia. It was isolated and named in Holland in 1921 but had largely died out by 1940. The new strain, carried by the Elm-bark Beetle, spread rapidly across Britain and by 1990 it had killed 25 million trees in the UK.

In the early nineties, it became clear that a number of mature elm trees in Essex had survived Dutch Elm Disease, despite all around them having succumbed. Local Tree Officer Melvyne Crow took some cuttings from these trees and deposited a few of them with Paul King, of King & Co.

Over a period of around 10 years Paul King potted them on, as the original trees were still in full leaf and realised that resistance to DED was increasingly likely. The decision was taken to investigate the best method of propagating these cuttings to produce good numbers of trees. Despite some difficulties, over 2000 “plugs” were eventually produced via micro-propagation. Since then, these trees have been grown on until reaching 10-12ft (3-3.7m) feet in height and are now established in 45 litre containers.

By the time these elm trees were released for sale in 2014, well over £75,000 had been spent on the project. Although it is unlikely that the trees are immune to DED, they do seem highly resistant to the disease. This may be because the main vector of DED, the Elm Bark Beetle, does not like feeding on the shiny, pendulous of this type of smooth leafed elm. The co-operation of Melvyne Crow and Paul King may well have saved the English Elm.