Plant of the Week
Survivor Tree
(American Elm)
Latin: Ulmus americana
At the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of the 1995
bombing of the Murrah Federal Building, stands the Survivor Tree. The tree
stands guard over a native stone plaza and its courtyard of 168 empty chairs.
The fact that the tree survived the bomb blast that killed so many transformed
it from a mere tree to a talisman for the comfort of all who survived.
That a tree should take on such symbolism in the aftermath of a
tragedy is hardly surprising. Mankind has long placed significance on its
venerable old trees, and the greater the age or the more momentous the event
surrounding them, the more important they become.
The Survivor tree is an American elm, Ulmus americana. While the
species is capable of attaining a height and spread of more than 100 feet, this
tree is more modest in its stature with dimensions of about 40 feet. Photos
taken in the 1920's when the property was the back yard of a family home
indicate the tree is about 100 years old. The tree’s low-forked trunk is tilted
at an odd angle and, were the circumstance different, it would have hardly
attracted visitors’ notice.
But in the aftermath of the blast, the off-balanced yet
well-rooted stature of the tree make it a perfect symbol for survival. It seems
to proclaim to all who enter the hallowed site and will pause a moment to listen
that the senseless act of destruction perpetrated by the few will not be the
final word. The very fibers of its bole seem to radiate hope for the future just
as a lighthouse sends its light into the dark night.
Chronicling the story of our nation’s historic trees has never
been a very organized affair, yet individuals with a sense of history and
biology occasionally come forth with compilations of historic trees. To my
knowledge, the first such attempt was during the Civil War by Harper’s New
Monthly Magazine, which described many of the significant trees from the
Colonial era.
A modern account of historic trees was prepared during the
height of the green movement when the editors of Outdoor Life published Trees of
America in 1973. Because trees are transient and events of importance are
constantly changing, an updated version is sorely needed for those of us
interested in this small slice of Americana.
During the last decade the folks at the National Arbor Day
Foundation have been selling seedlings or grafts of historic trees. While these
trees may not have superior horticultural characteristics, their historic
significance is great. Every plant in a landscape has a story to tell and these
historic trees can serve as a touchstone to our past.
I don’t know if there have been efforts to propagate the Survivor Elm. While
there may be considerable interest in doing so, it is probably not the best
idea. American elms are highly susceptible to Dutch elm disease and the fact
that this tree has survived probably has more to the fact it is located at the
western extent of the trees range than with any inherent resistance to the
disease. Several disease resistant American elms are now being grown by
wholesale nurserymen so gardeners interested in growing a venerable elm for
their landscape would be better advised to seek out one of these for planting.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
May 16, 2000
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