I would like to know if the zelcova and ulmus bonsai are the same plant. Thanks

Dear Carla,

the trees of the genus ulmus and those of the genus zelkova belong to two different genera, in fact, however, they are two genera both belonging to the Ulmaceae family, they are therefore closely related, and this can be seen both in appearance and in cultivation requirements. Both genera are used to prepare bonsai, and therefore in general it happens to find ulmus and zelkove denominated with the common term elm, although often the zelkove are called Japanese elms. Southern Europe; there are less than ten species, both deciduous and semi-evergreen, that is, they lose their leaves only in case of inclement weather; they have quite small foliage, and are very suitable for being bred as bonsai. Elms are deciduous trees, widespread in Europe and Asia, commonly cultivated throughout Europe as trees in parks and as road trees. zelkove also stems from the fact that bonsaists tend to grow species with particularly minute leaves, such as ulmus parvifolia, and zelkova serrata (or zelkova nire), which have many physical similarities to each other. as bonsai they should be kept outdoors, in the garden; having very small pots, which can be completely frozen by the cold, during the winter months it is advisable to place the pots in an area sheltered from frost, and sunny; or cover the pot with some agritessuto, in order to preserve the soil from the most intense and persistent frosts; zelkove, especially zelkova nire (the most common species in Italy as bonsai), tolerate drought very well and tend to keep their foliage if grown at mild temperatures; for this reason these ulmaceae are often grown as apartment bonsai. Growing them at home it is good to keep the ambient humidity high, often vaporizing the foliage; while the waterings will be reduced during the cold months, even if in case the climate is hot; this is because the few hours of daily sunlight (that is the very short days) push the saplings to go into semi-vegetative rest, even if the climate is warm and mild, with temperatures close to 20 ° C.