A Tree a Week: Japanese Zelkova

Zelkova Tree by Bryan Thao Worra

Captured in almost every front-facing picture of our chapel is a Zelkova serrata, commonly known as the Japanese Zelkova. Planted in 2001 as a replacement for our “Chapel Oak,” the Zelkova is a large, graceful deciduous tree with four-season interest. 

In winter, this tree showcases a striking vase-shaped silhouette with upward arching amber colored branches and a smooth gray exfoliated bark that reveals a vibrant layer of orange.  Divergent buds provide visual interest against the winter sky, creating a zigzag pattern that offers attractive texture and structure even without leaves. 

In the spring, yellow-green flowers in tight clusters adorn the Japanese Zelkova before new leaves emerge, and by summer, the tree is full of green, ovate, symmetrical leaves with toothed margins and distinct veins. Alternatively attached to the petioles, the leaves give the canopy the appearance of a dangling mobile mosaic, offset in beauty only by its fall foliage.  As the perfect complement to the Rose Window of St. Mary’s, the autumn transformation of the Zelkova brings a kaleidoscope of color, ranging from yellow to red to orange.
 
Bryan Thao Worra’s poem, Zelkova Tree, was published in Issues #1 and #6 of Cha and was discussed in “A Cup of Fine Tea.”  Much like Chatham Hall’s fall play, Metamorphoses, Worra invites us to consider the changeability of all life forms. He writes, “A friend warned me the other day / Not to write about the zelkova // Or I might come back as one.” The Zelkova, however, thinks many things could be worse than being a tree. Worra’s parallel poem includes the tree’s rebuke: “The other day the zelkova warned me / Not to worry about my friends // Or I might stay human.” Bringing warmth to winter, without concern or regret as seasons change, the Zelkova reminds us that to worry is perhaps the greatest flaw of humans.

Interesting Facts
The former “Chapel Oak” was a towering chestnut oak with a twisted trunk thought to be over 350 years old.  Its acorns were harvested, and some of the wood from the tree was used to make benches for the chapel courtyard.

Native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Manchuria, the Zelkova first grew in rich soil along the base of mountains and along the banks of rivers and streams. Introduced to America in 1862, it is now a beautiful landscape tree known for its refined foliage.

The Japanese Zelkova is closely related to the elm tree, yet it is highly resistant to Dutch Elm disease. Because of its similar look, the Zelkova became a common replacement for the American Elm and was used to line the streets of Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue beginning in 1950. 

The seeds of the Zelkova, like the Elm, are predominantly spread by the wind and can remain viable for up to four years.  Individual Zelkova trees can live for hundreds of years under ideal conditions. A tough urban tree, the Zelkova tolerates wind and pollution, making it a reliable landscape choice through all seasons. It grows quickly and can exceed 70 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 50 feet.