Mahogany Row Studio

Creepy Hollow Cedar Elm

Posted by Rob Kempinski on Mar 09 2009

This shohin Cedar Elm, Ulmus crassifolia, was collected from North Texas about 4 years ago. I bought it from Shane Carey. I chopped it hard to make a shohin of it. There is a lot happening in a 7 inch tall tree. It has a hollow trunk and several other hollows that lead to the hollow trunk. Hence the name Creepy Hollow.

A few more years of ramification and it will be nice. The first branch on the right popped from a bud after the chop. I let it grow long last year for thickening. This winter I pruned it and will hope to develop some secondary and tertiary branches on it this year.

As is usual for a Cedar Elm many of the branches have made wings – an interesting appendage just as mysterious as Bald Cypress knees.

The pot is a Xijing (sp) kiln Chinese pot of good quality.

Here is an update as of 2009.  The scars and hollows give this tree a real sense of antiquity.  It is just starting to make new buds so I had to grab a quick photo. The ramification isn’t as great as a Florida Elm or a Chinese Elm but that is the nature of this species.

Here is a close up of the trunk.