The field elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Silvery Gem' is an ornamental clone raised, as Ulmus carpinifolia 'Silvery Gem', before 1965 by P. G. Zwijnenburg of Zwijnenburg nurseries, Boskoop, The Netherlands.
[1] A moderately tall growing shrub, reaching about 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) in 10 years and with rather dense, twiggy branches bearing ovate leaves of a grey-green or silvery colour, especially in the spring, with irregular but conspicuous creamy-white margins.
[2] The colouring and variegation are most striking in spring, fading somewhat in summer.
[1][3][4] 'Silvery Gem' is not known to be resistant to Dutch elm disease,[citation needed] but the low height of the tree may ensure that it avoids colonization by Scolytus bark beetles and thus remain free of infection.
[5] The clone won a Golden Medal in The Netherlands in the mid-1960s.