Japanese zelkova
Zelkova serrata · Ulmaceae
Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) is a perennial tree in the Ulmaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 3 and warmer, down to about -33°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 89 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–6.9 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | Green USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 3 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | canopy Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated none — it needs reliable moisture. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 6.9 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 3.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 89 ft, making it a large tree that will dominate its site. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are green.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is dark green, fine in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as long.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 20 to 70 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 110 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 36 inches. Fertility requirement: high.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated none, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as single crown.
Role in a guild
Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- Norway maple Acer platanoides
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra
- river birch Betula nigra
- European white birch Betula pendula
- Kentucky yellowwood Cladrastis kentukea
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol ZESE80, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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