Is a Chinese Elm Tree Softwood or Hardwood?

The Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) rises in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5b through 10a. It produces colorful autumn leaves at the northernmost portion of its growing variety but stays evergreen when implanted further south. It makes an superb landscape tree as it has little invasive potential, doesn’t create litter and doesn’t attract unwanted animal traffic. The Chinese elm is a tree.

Hard or Soft?

The names hardwood and softwood can be deceiving, and they don’t really refer to the consistency or strength of the timber. Even though the wood of the majority of softwood trees is less dense than hardwoods and often contains more air bubbles, whether a tree is a hardwood and softwood actually depends upon the way that trees reproduce. Softwood trees are known as gymnosperms and reproduce by producing cones that contain pollen. After the end spreads the pollen to other trees, a bare tree is produced and dropped onto the ground to generate a new tree. Pine trees and other evergreen conifers reproduce in this way, which is what classifies them as softwoods. Hardwoods, however, are known as angiosperms. These trees reproduce by producing seeds housed in nuts or fruits and usually spread their feces by flowering. Most deciduous trees reproduce in this way and are hardwoods.

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