Handsome weeping tree with sturdy drooping branches that often reach the ground. Forms a closed crown. Is grafted onto U. glabra, usually at a height of between 2 and 2.5 m. The trunk of the young tree is smooth and silver-grey: later it turns dark grey with black grooves: old trunks have a network of grooves. Young twigs are brown, slightly hairy and have lenticels: later they become bare and greyish-brown. The large leaves grow close together, which causes dense foliage to develop so that the leaves cover the entire branch. The leaves are hairy on both sides and roughly serrated: the upper side feels rough. On one side the leaf stalk is covered by the asymmetrical foot, a characteristic of elm leaves. Very thick flower buds open just before the leaves emerge. Sensitive to Dutch elm disease.