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Slippery Elm

Ulmus rubra

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in moist to fairly dry calcareous forests, rich bottomlands, rich cove forests in the low Mountains. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

76
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
40–70 feet
Spread
30–50 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Dutch elm disease. This elm is susceptible to Dutch elm disease. Plant caution source

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
February to April
Fruiting season
March to May

Recorded in 45 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 130 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (17)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

136CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Ulmus

  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Nymphalis antiopaMourning Cloak
  • Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acrobasis indigenellaLeaf Crumpler
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta interruptaInterrupted Dagger
Show all 136
  • Acronicta morulaOchre Dagger
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Acronicta spinigeraNondescript Dagger
  • Acronicta vinnulaDelightful Dagger, Ashy Dagger
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
  • Aethalura intertextaFour-Barred Gray
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Anatrachyntis badiaFlorida Pink Scavanger Caterpillar
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Ancylosis undulatellaSugarbeet Crown Borer
  • Antaeotricha leucillanaWell-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Besma quercivorariaOak Besma
  • Callima argenticinctellaOrange-Headed Epicallima
  • Canarsia ulmiarrosorellaElm Leaftier Moth
  • Catocala clintoniiClinton's Underwing
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis pettitanaMaple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
  • Ceratomia amyntorElm Sphinx
  • Charadra deridensThe Laugher
  • Choristoneura fractivittanaBroken-Banded Leafroller, Lined Corn-Borer Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Clostera inclusaAngle-Lined Prominent, Poplar Tent Maker, Poplar Leaf-Tier
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Colocasia propinquilineaClosebanded Yellowhorn
  • Dasychira basiflavaYellow-Based Tussock Moth
  • Dasychira meridionalisSouthern Tussock Moth
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Ennomos magnariaMaple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Eulithis diversilineataLesser Grapevine Looper Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Haploa leconteiLeconte's Haploa
  • Haploa reversaReversed Haploa
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Heterogenea shurtleffiRed-Eyed Button Slug
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hypena abalienalisWhite-Lined Bomolocha, White-Lined Snout
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Hyperstrotia pervertensDotted Graylet
  • Hyperstrotia villificansWhite-Lined Graylet
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Hypoprepia fucosaPainted Lichen Moth
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Isa textulaCrowned Slug
  • Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
  • Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
  • Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
  • Limenitis arthemisBanded Purple, Red-Spotted Admiral
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Lithophane antennataAshen Pinion
  • Lithophane bethuneiBethune's Pinion
  • Lochmaeus bilineataDouble-Lined Prominent
  • Lochmaeus manteoVariable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth
  • Lycia ypsilonWoolly Gray
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Megalopyge crispataBlack-Waved Flannel Moth, Crinkled Flannel Moth
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Melanolophia signatariaSignate Melanolphia
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Nemoria mimosariaWhite-Fringed Emerald
  • Nerice bidentataDouble-Toothed Prominent
  • Norape cretataWhite Flannel Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oedemasia semirufescensRed-Washed Prominent
  • Orgyia definitaDefinite Tussock Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthonama obstipataThe Gem
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Panopoda carneicostaBrown Panopoda, Hickory Panopoda
  • Pantographa limataBasswood Leafroller Moth
  • Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
  • Perimede erransellaGray Perimede
  • Pero ancetariaHubner's Pero
  • Phaeoura quernariaOak Beauty Moth
  • Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Plagodis fervidariaFervid Plagodis
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pococera asperatellaMaple Webworm
  • Polygonia commaEastern Comma
  • Prionoxystus robiniaeCarpenterworm Moth, Black Locust Borer, Cottonwood Borer
  • Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Smerinthus jamaicensisTwin-Spotted Sphinx
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Sunira bicoloragoBicolored Sallow
  • Theisoa constrictellaConstricted Twirler
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tolype velledaLarge Tolype, Large Lappet Moth, Vellada Lappet Moth
  • Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Zale minereaColorful Zale
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ulmus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded eating Ulmus in Louisiana

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Ulmus 3

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Ulmaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Green or red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
March
Fruit ends
May
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Red Elm

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources