a genus of deciduous plants of the family Ulmaceae. The trees stand up to 40 m tall and have a smooth dark gray bark. The leaves are alternate and toothed. The flowers are small, greenish, monoecious (solitary), and staminate (in clusters). There are four to five stamens, and the ovary is sessile and contains a single seed. The fruits are nutlike. Zelkova is a relict variety, widely distributed in the Neogenic flora of Europe, Asia, and North America. Five or six species of Zelkova have been preserved, and they grow on the island of Crete and in China, Japan, and Korea. In the USSR there is one species, Z. carpinifolia (Z. ulmoides), growing in Transcaucasia (200-year-old trees have been preserved in Lenkoran’). The trees of this genus are fast-growing, are not resistant to frost, and are raised as ornamentals. They prefer moist, fertile soils. Their wood is highly valued in construction.