4. American Elm

Continue on the asphalt pathway. Beyond the Crescent Farm information board, the American elm specimen at the Arboretum can be found at the beginning of the lakeside dirt trail. Throughout the nineteenth century, American elm was an iconic tree in the central and eastern United States. Its arching branches and sheer height provided beauty and shade to the many streets it was planted near. American elm was largely wiped out in the United States by Dutch elm disease, a fungi; what you see at the Arboretum is a disease-resistant hybrid of American elm. Chinese or lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is a related species which is found distributed throughout Southern California, being covered in an intricate, delicate bark.