[6][7] Augustine Henry described one of the latter outside Iwamigawa, Hokkaido, railway station as being 34 m tall, with a clean stem to a height of approximately 15 m.[8] Takenoshin Nakai distinguished a local cork-barked form, f. suberosa (Flora of Japan, 1965),[9] while Morton Arboretum, Illinois, distinguishes a cork-barked form from China, U. propinqua var.

[12][13][14][15] The young shoots often bear corky wings, similar to those of the European field elm U. minor, to which it is closely related.

The samara, <15 mm long, is obovate to orbicular, occasionally hairy over its entire surface but more often glabrous,[7][22] the seed touching the notch, the inner margins of which are ciliate, the stigmas being slightly incurved.

In trials in the Netherlands, susceptibility to disease was found to be commensurate with rate of growth, the more vigorous specimens exhibiting far more foliar damage after inoculation with the causal fungus.

It was introduced to Arnold Arboretum, Massachusetts, in 1895 as seed sent from Sapporo by Professor Kingo Miyabe,[29] whence two seedlings were donated to Kew Gardens, London, in 1897.

[34] A specimen of U. campestris japonica obtained from Späth stood in the Ryston Hall arboretum, Norfolk,[35] in the early 20th century.

[26] In 1977, Heybroek collected the tree in Japan, with the result that there is now a small forest of Japanese elm in southern Flevoland, the largest plantation of the species beyond its native land.

[40][41] Specimens planted at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens have grown very well on heavy clay in an open location, where they support colonies of the White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album.

[42] In the UK, the TROBI Champion grows at the Royal Horticultural Society's Rosemoor garden in Devon, measuring 16 m tall in 2017.

[50] The Japanese elm was widely used in the US in hybridization experiments at the Morton Arboretum and University of Wisconsin,[51][52] resulting in the release of the following cultivars: 'Cathedral', 'Morton' = Accolade, 'Morton Glossy' = Triumph, 'Morton Plainsman' = Vanguard, 'Morton Red Tip' = Danada Charm, 'Morton Stalwart' = Commendation, 'New Horizon', 'Patriot', 'Rebona', 'Repura', 'Revera', and 'Sapporo Autumn Gold'.