Zelkova × verschaffeltii is an artificial hybrid of Zelkova carpinifolia × Zelkova serrata.
Description A large shrub or small, bushy-crowned tree < 15 m tall, with mottled grey and brown bark and graceful habit. The leaves are narrow, 3.5–8 cm long and 1.3–6.6 cm broad, deeply incised with between five and ten pairs of triangular teeth. The fruit is rarely produced, a small two-lobed dry nut-like drupe 4–5 mm diameter.Andrews, S. (1994). Tree of the year: Zelkova. Int. Dendrol. Soc. Yearbook 1993: 11-30.Mitchell, A. F. (1974). A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins Mitchell, A. F. (1982). The Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins White, J. & More, D. (2003). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. Cassell's, London.
Taxonomy
It was first described as Zelkova japonica var. verschaffeltii by Leopold Dippel in 1892.Zelkova japonica var. verschaffeltii Dippel. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved October 6, 2026, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:2872731-4 It was raised to species rank as Zelkova × verschaffeltii by George Nicholson in 1896. It was initially suspected to be a hybrid between Zelkova carpinifolia and Zelkova abelicea,Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles 8th ed., vol. 4. John Murray . but the analysis of flavonoids led to the conclusion that it is a hybrid between Zelkova carpinifolia and Zelkova serrata. Zelkova serrata was first introduced into England in 1861, and Zelkova × verschaffeltii has been cultivated since 1886. It may well have been that some of the Z. serrata trees reached sexual maturity before 1886 and crossed with Z. carpinifolia already in cultivation.Santamour, F. S. (1983). Flavonoid distribution in Zelkova. J. Arboriculture 9 (7): 190-192. Etymology The tree is named for the Belgian botanist Ambroise Verschaffelt who owned the Verschaffelt Nursery in Ghent.
Cultivation First found in cultivation in the van Houtte nursery at Ghent in Belgium before 1885.
References