Ulmus Parvifolia

It sounds dignified, Ulmus parvifolia,

much more so than Chinese elm,

Wikipedia will tell you its other aka,

lacebark elm, which is somewhere

(in between)

the scientific, specific and the utilitarian,

common prosaic monikers.

It’s all the same (or is it?) tree,

the one with exfoliating bark,

like a river birch or sycamore.

“The apetalous, wind-pollinated, perfect flowers are produced in early autumn, small and inconspicuous” (Wikipedia.org).

Perfect. Apetalous. inconspicuous.

Am I to understand that the perfect flower has no petals and draws no attention?

This changes things.

Also, the lacebark elm has that specific scientific specificity (parvifolia) perfunctorily:

the bark exfoliates.

Those beautiful gradations

of ochre, moss, copper, amber, and khaki are the result of the bark peeling away from the tree.

Chinese elms shed their outer layers, not like snakes or cicadas,

No, not in one continuous slink out of skin—more like a child with a sunburn,

peeling away this part here, that part there,

exposing the fresh, raw skin beneath,

glowing like a ruby that knows better.

🌳🌳🌳

Reference (sorry, no APA or MLA formatting):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia