The American elm cultivar Ulmus americana 'Augustine', originally called 'Augustine Ascending', was cloned by Archie M. Augustine of the Augustine Nursery of Bloomington, Illinois, from a nursery seedling planted in 1927 in Normal, Illinois, and found to be columnar in habit.

[2][4] 'Augustine' is a vigorous fastigiate tree distinguished by its thicker branches and larger, more deeply toothed leaves.

[5][6] Flower and Garden Magazine reported that the original tree was still standing in 1959 and – erroneously – that the cultivar did not produce seed.

[3][8] 'Augustine' has proven particularly susceptible to Dutch elm disease, exhibiting 36% crown dieback in one year after inoculation with the pathogen.

[9] The species is also highly susceptible to Elm Yellows and is also moderately preferred for feeding and reproduction by the adult Elm Leaf Beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola,[10] and highly preferred for feeding by the Japanese Beetle Popillia japonica [11][12] in the United States.