The Chinese elm has the most beautiful bark – green, gray, orange and brown mottled and flaking in small thin plates. This is a handsome tree, often with a trunk that forks and produces a vase shape similar to American elm. Chinese elm usually gets no more than 12.2-15.2 m tall. The leaves are typical elm leaves – about 5.1 cm long, elliptic, toothed, conspicuously veined and with unequal bases. Chinese elm is semi-deciduous, almost evergreen in mild climates. Chinese elm is native to China, Korea and Japan. Chinese elm is a fast growing tree that is adaptable to most soil types. It prefers full sun to partial shade. It requires regular watering and is not as tolerant of drought as Siberian elm. It is hardy to Hardy to -34° Celsius. Chinese elm is a tough little tree, tolerant of urban air and soils and resistant to Dutch elm disease. Fast growing and adaptable, this is a good choice when you want a shade tree for a small landscape.