Brisbane tree guide

Chinese elm tree

Ulmus parvifolia · also called Lacebark elm

The Chinese elm tree is an East Asian shade tree with small glossy leaves, often weeping branchlets and patchwork bark that flakes in grey, tan and orange. In Brisbane it usually keeps some leaves through winter. It is popular for shade, streets and bonsai, but its roots are hard on sewer pipes and seedlings pop up nearby. Don't confuse it with Chinese celtis, a restricted weed that is also called Chinese elm.

Exotic
6 to 13 m tall

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Chinese elm, from Wikimedia Commons — Photo: Ronnie Nijboer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chinese elm at a glance

Height: 6 to 13 m (up to 25 m in the wild)
Leaves: Semi-deciduous
Flowers: Small and easy to miss
Roots: Aggressive
Origin: China, Japan and Vietnam
Family: Ulmaceae

How to identify a Chinese elm

A broad-crowned tree, often 6 to 13 metres in gardens, usually with drooping or weeping branchlets. The leaves are small, mostly 2.5 to 5 cm long, glossy dark green above, toothed along the edges and a little lopsided at the base. The bark is the best clue: smooth when young, then mottled grey, tan and orange-brown as it sheds in small plates. Flowers are tiny and easy to miss, and flat winged seeds about 1 cm long follow in autumn. Chinese celtis, which some people also call Chinese elm, has smooth silver-grey bark, leaves 4 to 7 cm long and small orange berries instead of winged seeds.

Growing a Chinese elm in Brisbane

Chinese elm is widely planted in Australian gardens, parks and streets and grows in most soils in full sun. Flora of Australia notes it is often semi-deciduous here and close to evergreen in warmer places, so Brisbane trees usually drop only part of their foliage. It has naturalised in parts of south-east Queensland, with herbarium records from Boonah and a creek at Chapel Hill, and seedlings often appear near planted trees. Give it plenty of room away from sewer and water pipes.

What to watch out for

Hunter Water rates elms among the trees with a very high risk of damaging sewer pipes, so keep this one well clear of pipes. Seedlings often come up near planted trees; it has naturalised in parts of south-east Queensland, and the Queensland Government's WildNet database flags it as an environmental weed. The bigger trap is the name: Chinese celtis, a Category 3 restricted invasive plant in Queensland, is also called Chinese elm in Brisbane. It must not be given away, sold or released into the environment, so check which tree you have.

Seedlings. Seedlings often come up near planted trees, and it has naturalised in parts of south-east Queensland, including beside a creek at Chapel Hill.

Pruning and care

Chinese elm is commonly grown as bonsai, and a garden tree needs only light, selective pruning. Remove crossing, rubbing or dead branches, lift the canopy over paths and thin dense growth rather than cutting the whole crown back hard. Weeping forms may need their lowest branchlets trimmed for head room. Pull out seedlings that come up in garden beds. Large limbs over the house or near power lines are a job for a qualified arborist.

Chinese elm: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

Is Chinese elm a weed in Queensland?

The true Chinese elm, Ulmus parvifolia, is not a restricted plant and is not on Brisbane City Council's weed list, though WildNet flags it as an environmental weed. Chinese celtis, also called Chinese elm, is a Category 3 restricted invasive plant, so you must not give it away, sell it or release it into the environment, and you must manage its impacts on your land.

How do I tell Chinese elm from Chinese celtis?

Look at the bark and the fruit. Chinese elm has mottled grey, tan and orange bark that flakes in small plates and flat winged seeds, while Chinese celtis has smooth silver-grey bark and small orange berries.

Are Chinese elm tree roots invasive?

They can be. Hunter Water rates elms as a very high risk to sewer pipes, so plant a Chinese elm tree well away from sewer and water pipes.

Is Chinese elm deciduous?

Only partly in most of Australia. The leaves can turn yellow and some fall in winter, but in warmer places such as Brisbane many stay on the tree.

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Sources and credits

Photo: Ronnie Nijboer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.