Kingdom Plantae

• The plant kingdom includes all plants, and it is the largest classification the slippery elm belongs to. This distinguishes it from animals, bacteria and fungi such as mushrooms. All plants from single cell snow algae to the mighty redwood belong to this group.
  
  

Phylum Magnoliophyta

• The next stage of classification for the slippery elm is the phylum, or division. This elm belongs to the phylum magnoliophyta, or angiospermia. All plants that produce flowers for reproduction belong to this phylum including all other elms as well as oaks, maples, orchids, grape vines and rose bushes. Plants not in this group include pine trees, cycads and ferns.
  
  

Class Magnoliopsida

• Magnoliopsida, or dicotyledonae, is the next specific group the slippery elm belongs to. This group is commonly known as the "dicots" and includes approximately 170,000 species. Dicots are distinguished within the seed as having two or more embryonic seed leaves while monocots have only one. Dicots, which include coffee plants, cotton, beans, cacti and oaks, also feature flowers with petals in sets of five or four, or multiples of those numbers. Monocots, such as palms, orchids, lilies and grass, flower in petal sets of three and multiples of three.
  
  

Order Urticales

• Now separated from several major types of plant, the slippery elm is further distinguished in the Urticales order. This group holds approximately 2,200 species and includes mulberry trees, nettles, all other elms, and cannabis. These plants are grouped together because they come from a single common ancestor.
  
  

Family Ulmaceae

• Ulmaceae, or elm, is the next classification and consists of 200 species. All elms belong to this family, including the American elm, the rock elm, the Siberian elm and the Chinese elm. This family consists of only one genus.
  
  

Genus Ulmus

• The genus Ulmus also means elm and is not only the next level of classification for the slippery elm, but also the first part of its scientific name. All other elms also belong to the genus Ulmus including the white elm and the smooth leaf elm.
  
  

Species Rubra

• The species rubra is the most specific scientific classification for the slippery elm. A species is an individual type of organism, so the slippery elm is the only elm with rubra in its name. Scientists use a classification system called binomial nomenclature to give the plant a first and last name. In this system the slippery elm is called by its genus, Ulmus and its species, rubra.