The elm cultivar Charisma was derived from a crossing of two hybrids grown at the Morton Arboretum

Morton Arboretum

The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. It includes native woodlands and a restored Illinois prairie. The Arboretum has over 4,100 different species of...

, Accolade

Accolade (elm hybrid)

Morton is an elm cultivar cloned from a putative intraspecific hybrid planted at the Morton Arboretum in 1924, which itself originated as seed collected from a tree at the Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts. Although this tree was originally identified as Ulmus crassifolia, it is now is believed to...

 and Vanguard

Vanguard (elm hybrid)

The elm cultivar Morton Plainsman is another Morton Arboretum selection derived from a crossing of the Siberian Elm U. pumila and the Japanese Elm U. davidiana var...

. Charisma is similar in stature to the American Elm

American Elm

Ulmus americana, generally known as the American Elm or, less commonly, as the White Elm or Water Elm, is a species native to eastern North America, occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Florida and central Texas. The American elm is an extremely hardy tree that can...

, and has glossy, deep-green foliage. It is resistant to Dutch elm disease

Dutch elm disease

Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...

, and featured in the elm trials http://www.for.nau.edu/cms/content/view/512/706/ conducted by Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...

in eastern Arizona, where its performance went largely unremarked.

External links

• http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Trees/Dutch%20Elm%20Disease.asp Tisserat, N. (2006) Dutch Elm Disease - Extension Plant Pathology. Kansas State University.