plant
Elm
Elm as a plant people have named and used. Street shade, strong timber, quiet row — one living kind, not a single symbol.
Elm is used in Medicine.
Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica lists elm (ptelea) leaves and bark among astringent drugs. A named elm in that handbook, not a Dutch-elm pathology dump and not ash as the neighboring tree pharmacy.
from Pedanius Dioscorides · De Materia Medica, 1st century CE
used in · sourced · documented
Elm is historically related to Pine.
In Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture, the lack of fir may be evaded by using cypress, poplar, elm, or pine — elm stands with that pine as substitute timber.
from Vitruvius; Morris Hicky Morgan (translation) · De Architectura, 1st century BCE; Morgan English 1914
historically related to · sourced · documented
Fir is historically related to Elm.
In Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture, where fir and clear fir are lacking, cypress, poplar, elm, or pine may be used instead — fir is replaced by that elm in the same building use.
from Vitruvius; Morris Hicky Morgan (translation) · De Architectura, 1st century BCE; Morgan English 1914
historically related to · sourced · documented
Cypress is historically related to Elm.
In Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture, cypress has not the efficacy of the elm among building timbers, yet both are named among woods suited to construction — cypress is weighed against that elm.
from Vitruvius; Morris Hicky Morgan (translation) · De Architectura, 1st century BCE; Morgan English 1914
historically related to · sourced · documented
Roman religion
Elm appears in Roman religion.
Pliny’s Natural History seats elm among forest and vineyard-support trees of Italy. A named elm in that encyclopedia, not ash as the Norse timber already walked and not a modern street-tree dump.
from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE
appears in · sourced · documented
Norse tradition
Elm appears in Norse tradition.
Völuspá in the Poetic Edda names Embla beside Ask among the first humans; Embla is received as elm. A named elm in that creation speech, not ash as Yggdrasil already walked and not a generic timber dump.
from Anonymous (Eddic poems); Carolyne Larrington (translation) · Poetic Edda, medieval Icelandic compilation; Larrington trans. 1996/2014
appears in · sourced · culturally specific
sources
- De Materia Medica · Pedanius Dioscorides
Dioscorides, De Materia Medica.
- Natural History · Pliny the Elder
Pliny, Naturalis Historia.
- Poetic Edda · Anonymous (Eddic poems); Carolyne Larrington (translation)
The Poetic Edda, trans. Carolyne Larrington.
- De Architectura · Vitruvius; Morris Hicky Morgan (translation)
Vitruvius, The Ten Books on Architecture, trans. Morris Hicky Morgan (1914).