Zelkova serrata is a large deciduous tree from eastern Asia, grown widely in the West as a resilient alternative to the American elm since Dutch elm disease devastated elm-lined streets through the 20th century. It shares the elm's elegant vase shape in youth, broadening and opening as it matures to 50 to 80 feet tall and equally wide. The serrated leaves are textured and green through spring and summer, then shift in fall to combinations of yellow, orange, and burgundy that vary considerably from tree to tree. The patterned bark, which breaks into an interlocking mosaic of gray, orange, and brown as the tree ages, is distinctly ornamental through the leafless months.

Hardy in zones 5 through 8, it does well in full sun with moderate moisture and tolerates drought once established. Wind does not trouble it. It is genuinely disease-resistant, largely immune to Dutch elm disease and the elm leaf beetle, though leafrollers occasionally appear without causing serious harm. As a lawn or street tree it has real merit, though observations from urban plantings in the Carolinas suggest that compacted soils and high heat in parking lot and roadside situations cause stress, including crown dieback. In open ground with room to develop, it is one of the more satisfying large trees for a temperate garden.