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Japanese zelkova

Zelkova serrata · Ulmaceae

Your local evidence lens

Separate evidence questions, never one approval badge

Set a ZIP to compare this record with state distribution, native range, USDA hardiness, and invasive records.

A genus split is not a placement verdict. Set a ZIP to read the local documented split.

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence: Fire-resistant — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions: 1 condition stated in cited fire-evidence rows.
Fire ecology context: No section-reviewed fire-ecology context is normalized.
Placement evidence: 3 source placement records; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions: Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia; Global; Japan; Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia; Ohio / Midwest; Virginia / Mid-Atlantic; eastern US
Maintenance: No sourced horticultural maintenance assertion is normalized; fire-test conditions do not supply maintenance advice.

Typed publication scope: 5 scopes across 3 cited fire sources

Firewise Landscaping Plants (Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia editions) · Official scoped edition
- MD; partial normalized coverage · 2015-01-08
  Maryland Forest Service says the list contains plants that can be grown in Maryland and identifies Maryland natives. FireApproved publishes 169 exact source owners from the 180 printed rows; an unrepresentable form and duplicate-owner rows are not broadened. The list calls itself non-comprehensive and does not establish suitability for every Maryland site.
- NJ; partial normalized coverage
  New Jersey DEP publishes a state edition saying the listed plants can be grown in New Jersey and are relatively resistant to fire. Its same 180 printed taxon occurrences map to the 169 conservative owners already normalized for the template family. The list is non-comprehensive and does not establish suitability for every New Jersey site or override the Pinelands Commission's separate placement and fuel-break rules.
- WV; partial normalized coverage · 2026-08-26
  West Virginia Division of Forestry publishes a state edition saying the listed plants can be grown in West Virginia and are relatively resistant to fire. Its same 180 printed taxon occurrences map to the 169 conservative owners already normalized for the template family. The list is non-comprehensive and provides no comparative or site-specific rating.
Firewise Landscaping (OSU Extension Bulletin 921) · Official scoped edition
- OH; partial normalized coverage · 2006-03-01
  Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 921 is an Ohio publication that describes Ohio fire seasons and landscape conditions and labels nativity to Ohio. FireApproved publishes 352 exact source-owning plant records from its eight rated tables. This historical publication scope does not assert current extension endorsement or that a listed plant suits every Ohio site.
Virginia Firescapes — Firewise Landscaping for Woodland Homes (430-300) · Official scoped edition
- VA; partial normalized coverage · 2009-04-15
  Virginia Cooperative Extension's publication opens with Virginia wildfire conditions, identifies its Virginia Firewise Landscaping Task Force, and labels plants native to Virginia. FireApproved publishes 306 exact source owners. Publication scope does not establish parcel suitability or current endorsement of this archived 2009 list.

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution: Documented in DC, DE, GA, MD, NJ, NY, OH, PA, WV.
Native range: No current cited or legacy state native range is normalized.
Introduced / established: 2 sourced range or established records; set a location to match them. This is not an invasive warning.
USDA hardiness: Documented minimum 3b; no upper limit is documented.

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Legal-list status: Set a location for an exact legal-list result; source silence is not clearance.
Seed-list status: Set a location to compare the separate state noxious-weed seed layer.
Reported invasive here: No ecological invasive report is normalized; that does not prove noninvasiveness.
Broader regional context: Aggregate AK, HI, and L48 evidence is shown only as regional context, never as an exact-state finding.
Federal context: Federal designations remain separate from state legal-list results.

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) — Photo: (c) Andrew Conboy, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Form: tree
USDA hardiness: Minimum 3b; upper limit not documented
Mature height: ~50 ft
Light: Part sun
Water need: moderate
Grows in: DC, DE, GA, MD, NJ, NY, OH, PA +1
Rated in: Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia; Global; Japan; Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia +3
Family: Ulmaceae
Evidence: 30 cited sources

Native and introduced range evidence

These are exact U.S. botanical-area records from the cited range source. Native and introduced describe biogeographic relationship, not fire performance or planting approval. Doubtful and extinct rows stay visible but do not count as current presence.

Current native

0

exact source areas

Current introduced

1

exact source area

Qualified

0

doubtful or extinct source rows

1 introduced source area · World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16 v16, as of 2026-06-04

New York (NY)

The lossless worldwide derivative is retained once in the research corpus; object pages repeat only exact U.S. areas needed by the local lens. The JSON twin carries the same page assertions.

Plant hardiness evidence

These values describe the plant source. Your ZIP zone comes from the separate 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Whole-zone values stay whole-zone, and a single unresolved value is not treated as a tolerance range. Different source boundaries stay separate: overlapping statements are compared independently, while only ranges with no shared zone are called a conflict.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector · record zelkova-serrata · 2016-wayback · as of 2026-08-26

Source prints 5 · single-value meaning unresolved · whole zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Zelkova serrata · exact match.

Source location: Cold Hardiness Zone field in the recovered selector record.

Not used for comparison: The recovered selector prints one Cold Hardiness Zone value but does not define it as a minimum threshold or a one-zone range.
USDA PLANTS Database — Plant Characteristics · record ZESE80 · PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23 · as of 2026-08-26

Minimum 3b · no upper limit documented · half zone precision · derived containing band

Exact source measurement: -33°F; mapped only to its containing half-zone.

Source taxon: Zelkova serrata · source identifier match.

Source location: PlantCharacteristics record 71013, Temperature, Minimum (°F).

Conditions in the fire evidence

These describe tested or rated plant material. They are not horticultural maintenance instructions.

irrigated: Shoot flammability patterns in native and exotic street tree species at the WUI of eastern Australia evidence row

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector: Landscape Zone 3 — 10–30 ft from the structure; thin vegetation, remove debris, and minimize plant massing [Fire Performance Plant Selector landscape zone] (with its recommendation)
Tree fire-protection classification in Hito to Shinrin: ケヤキ — Table 10-2 [tadaki-kira-1982-fire-protection-power] (mid-scale rating)
Firewise Landscaping Plants: Deciduous Trees [Maryland Firewise plant-form tables] (with its recommendation)

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Mid-scale / conditional (2)

Shoot flammability patterns in native and exotic street tree species at the WUI of eastern Australia — Fire (Huber-Smith, Morley, Krix, Murray et al.; University of Technology Sydney) · 2023 · original source Primary evidence Lab-tested lineage: uts-murray-tree

“Measured; four flammability-attribute rankings were not concordant” · condition: irrigated

Shoot time-to-flame, flame duration, flaming events, and flame temperature were compared without an overall class.
Tree fire-protection classification in Hito to Shinrin (人と森林) — Kyoritsu Shuppan; table reproduced by Kagoshima Prefecture · Hito to Shinrin (1982), Table 10-2; Kagoshima web reproduction · original source Primary evidence Expert-curated lineage: independent (root of Japanese municipal fire-protection tree lists)

“小” · score 1 (tadaki-kira-fire-protection-power-0-3)

Table 10-2 prints ケヤキ in the small fire-protection-power class. The Kagoshima reproduction says highly fire-protective trees can slow spread, promote upward dispersal of heat and smoke, and intercept flying embers.

Listed without a rating (24)

FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

24 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 193.7” · score 193.7 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 1190; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Chung2010-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2010: Chung, Y. J. (2010). Comparison of combustion properties of native wood species used for fire pots in Korea. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 16, 15-19.
- “total smoke release (m²/m²): 82.5” · score 82.5 (FLAMITS — total smoke release (m²/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 1194; Consumability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Chung2010-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2010: Chung, Y. J. (2010). Comparison of combustion properties of native wood species used for fire pots in Korea. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 16, 15-19.
- “smoke specific extinction area (m²/kg): 113.66” · score 113.66 (FLAMITS — smoke specific extinction area (m²/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 1198; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Chung2010-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2010: Chung, Y. J. (2010). Comparison of combustion properties of native wood species used for fire pots in Korea. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 16, 15-19.
- “flaming duration (s): 579” · score 579 (FLAMITS — flaming duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 1202; Sustainability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Chung2010-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2010: Chung, Y. J. (2010). Comparison of combustion properties of native wood species used for fire pots in Korea. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 16, 15-19.
- “time to flaming (s): 28” · score 28 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 6534; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Lee2013-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lee2013: Lee, J.-H., & Kim, D. (2013). Combustion properties for tree species of major structural components of traditional wooden buildings. Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation, 13, 17-22.
- “mass loss rate (g/s): 0.08” · score 0.08 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate (g/s))
  
  FLAMITS record 6535; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Lee2013-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lee2013: Lee, J.-H., & Kim, D. (2013). Combustion properties for tree species of major structural components of traditional wooden buildings. Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation, 13, 17-22.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2842.26” · score 2842.26 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 6536; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Lee2013-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lee2013: Lee, J.-H., & Kim, D. (2013). Combustion properties for tree species of major structural components of traditional wooden buildings. Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation, 13, 17-22.
- “maximum sample temperature (°C): 510” · score 510 (FLAMITS — maximum sample temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 6537; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Lee2013-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lee2013: Lee, J.-H., & Kim, D. (2013). Combustion properties for tree species of major structural components of traditional wooden buildings. Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation, 13, 17-22.
- “total heat release (MJ/m²): 139.98” · score 139.98 (FLAMITS — total heat release (MJ/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 6538; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Lee2013-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lee2013: Lee, J.-H., & Kim, D. (2013). Combustion properties for tree species of major structural components of traditional wooden buildings. Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation, 13, 17-22.
- “burning duration (s): 45” · score 45 (FLAMITS — burning duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 6539; Sustainability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Lee2013-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lee2013: Lee, J.-H., & Kim, D. (2013). Combustion properties for tree species of major structural components of traditional wooden buildings. Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation, 13, 17-22.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 106.57” · score 106.57 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 6540; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Lee2013-1; sampling ND. Primary study Lee2013: Lee, J.-H., & Kim, D. (2013). Combustion properties for tree species of major structural components of traditional wooden buildings. Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation, 13, 17-22.
- “time to flaming (s): 92” · score 92 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18884; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “time to flaming (s): 36” · score 36 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18885; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “time to flaming (s): 22” · score 22 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18886; Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 9.2” · score 9.2 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 18999; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 10” · score 10 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 19000; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 11.2” · score 11.2 (FLAMITS — mass loss rate per area (g/m² s))
  
  FLAMITS record 19001; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 100” · score 100 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 19114; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 111” · score 111 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 19115; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 129” · score 129 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 19116; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Harada2001-1; sampling ND. Primary study Harada2001: Harada, T. (2001). Time to ignition, heat release rate and fire endurance time of wood in cone calorimeter test. Fire Materials, 25, 1617.
- “energy flux (kW/m²): 94” · score 94 (FLAMITS — energy flux (kW/m²))
  
  FLAMITS record 19212; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Chung2008-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2008: Chung, Y. J., & Spearpoint, M. (2008). Combustion properties of native Korean wood species. International Journal on Engineering Performance-Based Fire Codes, 9, 11825.
- “flaming duration (s): 579” · score 579 (FLAMITS — flaming duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 19216; Sustainability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Chung2008-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2008: Chung, Y. J., & Spearpoint, M. (2008). Combustion properties of native Korean wood species. International Journal on Engineering Performance-Based Fire Codes, 9, 11825.
- “smoke specific extinction area (m²/kg): 13.22” · score 13.22 (FLAMITS — smoke specific extinction area (m²/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 19220; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Chung2008-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2008: Chung, Y. J., & Spearpoint, M. (2008). Combustion properties of native Korean wood species. International Journal on Engineering Performance-Based Fire Codes, 9, 11825.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2326.35” · score 2326.35 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 19224; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Chung2008-1; sampling ND. Primary study Chung2008: Chung, Y. J., & Spearpoint, M. (2008). Combustion properties of native Korean wood species. International Journal on Engineering Performance-Based Fire Codes, 9, 11825.

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: USDA PLANTS · GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · ITIS

Zelkova serrata (Japanese zelkova). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/zelkova-serrata/. Last verified 2026-08-23.