The Chinese elm cultivar Ulmus parvifolia 'Emer I' or 'Emerald Isle' (trade designation: ) was cloned from a tree planted circa 1920 on the University of Georgia campus at Athens.
is a small tree rarely exceeding 6 m in height, with a slightly broader, dense and rounded crown. The leaves are a medium, glossy green, turning drab brown in autumn. The exfoliating, mottled bark is considered very attractive.
The species and its cultivars are highly resistant, but not immune, to Dutch elm disease, and unaffected by the elm leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola. As with the species overall, damage caused by Japanese beetle is relatively slight.
featured in the elm trials http://www.for.nau.edu/cms/content/view/512/706/ conducted by Northern Arizona University at Holbrook, Arizona, but was unsuited to the hot, arid climate and sustained over 50% mortality in its first year. It is currently being evaluated in the National Elm Trial https://web.archive.org/web/20110721154215/http://treehealth.agsci.colostate.edu/research/nationalelmtrial/NET_Cultivars.htm coordinated by Colorado State University. It was also tested in the United States for cold-hardiness. was introduced to Australia in 2002 as part of the Australian Urban Street Planting Programme http://www.austep.net.au/evaluations.asp?site_ref=37 ; it is not known to have been introduced to Europe.
(Widely available)