Elm ID (It's not elm)

[DavidV]

My camera died before I could get any more pictures today, and I was in a hurry to harvest it before dark but I'm having trouble IDing this elm. It's 8-10 inches at the base and split into straight staves. Whatever it is, it will make bows. At first I thought it was hackberry from the ridged bark but nowhere on the tree does it get smoother with warts like the hackberry around here. Then I thought it was winged elm but the twigs didn't have corky wings... twigs are thin, smooth. buds pointed, alternate.

After cutting it down I've pretty much ruled out hackberry because of its density and weight. The wood is white all the way through and no signs of heartwood. I guess I've narrowed it down to American or Rock Elm, but rock elm isn't that common in Missouri, let alone this far south and it just doesn't look like American elm... stumped

[Pat B]

If it split straight and easily it doesn't sound like elm. 

[DavidV]

I said it split straight, it did NOT split easy.

[PatM]

American Elm frequently occurs with bark like that. I encounter it often up here.
 Rock Elm may have corky bark but it always has corky shaggy limbs and twigs too.

[DavidV]

This tree and the ones around it have corky limbs but the twigs where the buds are present are smooth. If it were rock elm it would be ulmus thomasii.

The more I look at it the more I think that's what it is. I know all elms make good bows especially the white elms but just helps to know what I'm working with.

[turtle]

Looks like american elm. What does it smell like? Ones around here smell like urine.

[Hrothgar]

That bark reminds me of hackberry, but I don't cut a lot of elm.

[}|{opukc]

rather it goes to red

http://www.portraitoftheearth.com/trees/redelm.html

[DavidV]

Welp, went out today and I think I've solved it. That tree to the left in the second picture is the only elm there. I assumed both were the same species and mixed their twigs up, it's an actual american elm. I'm almost 90% sure this is hackberry now that I see the branches up close, and it fits the wood being all white.







Here's the warts:


Hackberry and elm leaves in the leaf litter.







Well, I got some nice staves anyway. Does anyone know how hackberry dries? should I quarter it now or leave it halved?

[k-hat]

Hackberry is good stuff, especially with a tempered belly.  It dries nicely, in my experience a little faster than other whitewoods.  debark it asap, this time of year it should just about peel off.....should, but may not.  Quarter it up and bug spray it.  You can pretty much treat it just like elm.  Pearl Drums has made some very nice hackberry bows. 

[Hrothgar]

Hackberry takes heat great. Toomanyknots did a build along 2 years ago using hackberry; turned out a couple really nice recurves.

[SLIMBOB]

My first thought was Hackberry.  Surprisingly good bow wood.  Heat treated it holds it's own with any of them.

[osage outlaw]

Pearly did a hackberry build-a-long to.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,31738.0.html