See under wych elm. The tree was planted in the streets of Skanör, Sweden, in the 19th century. 'Nitida' was described by Rehder (1915) as a form present in Norway (probably an error for Sweden) "and perhaps also in England". It was cultivated at Kew in the early 20th century as "Ulmus scabra (glabra)", the smooth-leaved wych, where it was described by Ley (1910), who had not seen it growing naturally in England. He later, however, prepared a herbarium specimen of a similar wych elm from Edmondsham, Dorset. Elwes and Henry do not mention the Kew specimen in their 1913 work.