Zelkova carpinifolia, Caucasian elm A tree native to the
Caucasus; three specimens were originally planted at Kew in 1760
when zelkovas were reportedly brought into cultivation in
Britain. Planted in what is now the Herbarium paddock, they were
not listed as notable historic trees in research of 1905 but
were measured as being 60 ft high even then. Little seems to be
known about them even under all their previous Latin names,
including Zelkova crenata. As they are not within the boundaries
of the original arboretum it is unlikely they were bought by
Princess Augusta for the original botanic garden at Kew. Indeed
the paddock where they are planted was once the garden of a
neighbouring house. It is possible that only a few zelkovas were
introduced around this time, whereas more were brought in by
Michaux around 1782 from Persia. Elwes and Henry note in 1905
that "this tree is now rarely seen in nurseries, though it is
easily propagated by suckers and seed could be procured without
difficulty from its native cou