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...

 Ulmus americana cultivar '76', named 'Deadfree', was listed by the Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) of the District Department of Transportation

District of Columbia Department of Transportation

The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is an agency of the government of the District of Columbia which manages and maintains publicly-owned transportation infrastructure in the District of Columbia...

 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, as one of its "street trees" in 2008 http://app.ddot.dc.gov/ufa/information/tree_list_common_2.shtm. However, the UFA currently has no documentation to support it, and thus the entry may be spurious.

The tree is almost certainly synonymous with 'DED-FREE', a tree at the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

, obtained from the Princeton Nursery, Princeton

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 in 1973, cloned from the only survivor (late 1940's) among a grove of trees following natural devastation by 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 subsequently proved resistant by artificial inoculations. However, the tree was neither offered for public sale nor distribution. The name was never validly published and the originator has suggested that it not be validated http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=2673&Type=2.