Cedar Elm, Ulmus Crassifolia, aka: Basket Elm, Scrub Elm, Lime Elm, Texas Elm and Southern Rock Elm.
I always assumed the nickname "Cedar Elm" was due to the wood looking like Red Cedar when cut, because older trees can develop heartwood that is a beautiful warm reddish-brown color, with the contrasting layer of white sapwood -but who knows. The leaves are different from the more common elms, as they are smaller and thick & leathery, like a non-deciduous Southern semi-evergreen. They're everywhere on my brother in law's Central TX property, where I felled one. They are inter-mingled with ERC and the TX scrub Osage I cut, there in the bottom lands, near a creek. I was sad that the one I cut did not have the lovely reddish-brown heart in it, but instead, its heart was just a pale mauve-pink color, which looked basically white at a glance. Made a couple of bows from it and it seemed like good bow wood. Really benefits from multiple belly tempering, to avoid set. This was my first experience with Elm, and–once cured–it was some tough wood to work. Stuff just seemed to laugh-off my efforts with the hatchet, while reducing the stave down. –John
