The genus Zelkova was common throughout northern Europe and North America as late as the Pliocene.
However, extensive Pleistocene glaciation has confined the genus to its present range to the eastern Mediterranean islands and the Caucasus, and in eastern Asia where only local glaciation occurred.
Species of Zelkova were important elements of the vast forests that prevailed throughout the Northern Hemisphere during much of the Cenozoic Period.

Today, the genus comprises six species with disjunct distribution patterns: three in eastern Asia [Zelkova serrata (Thunb.)
Makino; Zelkova schneideriana Hand.-Mazz.;
and Zelkova sinica C. K. Schneid.],
one in southwestern Asia [Zelkova carpinifolia (Pall.)
C. Koch] and two on the Mediterranean islands of Sicily (Zelkova sicula Di Pasq.,
Garfi & Quézel) and Crete [Zelkova abelicea (Lam.)
Boiss.].
The oldest fossils attributed to Zelkova date from the early Eocene (55 million years ago) in western North America, where the genus is extinct today.
 In Bulgaria, Zelkova fossils were found in Paleogene and Neogene layers in the following locations: Zelkova ungeri (Ett.)
Kov. —
Lozenets, Kurilo, Chukurovo in Sofia Region, Dospey in Samokov Region, Pernik, Pirin Mine in Blagoevgrad Region, Bobov Dol in Kyustendil Region; Zelkova praelonga Berger — Pirin Mine in Blagoevgrad Region.

Zelkova abelicea is endemic to Crete (Greece); it has a fragmentary distribution in the four main mountain regions of Crete (Lefka Ori, Psiloritis, Dikti and Thrypti), between 900 and 1800 m above sea level, which corresponds to the upper timberline.
It grows mainly on north-facing slopes or in and around rocky river-beds and gullies which remain moist during dry summers.
The species is highly endangered through habitat fragmentation and destruction, overgrazing, fire and water stress.

The Sicilian Zelkova Z. sicula, only discovered in 1991, is listed as an endangered species.
The two known populations close to Syracuse (Bosco Pisano and Ciranna) comprise a small number of low shrubs suffering from severe overgrazing; the natural mature size of undamaged specimens is unknown.

Whilst all the known Zelkova taxa are currently in cultivation and in botanic gardens or arboreta, relatively few collections are known to be from wild sourced material or known in the countries of their natural distribution.
Z. sicula and Z. abelicea are the two taxa considered to be at most risk of extinction (Critically Endangered and Vulnerable).
These two Zelkova species are the two with the most restricted natural distribution—both are small island endemics.
The Zelkova with the widest natural distribution, Z. serrata, is also the most common Zelkova in botanic garden collections 
Phylogeography, using chloroplast and mitochondrial markers, has mostly focused on the Quaternary and the influence of the cycles of glaciation on species distribution and structure.
 Phylogeography has, however, also been used to document more ancient patterns, with some of them presumably dating as far back as the early Miocene.
The retrieval of ancient patterns may be specific to tree species, which are assumed to evolve more slowly than herbaceous plants and shrubs.
 Zelkova trees live for centuries, which is a good indication that ancient patterns might be recovered using molecular markers.

A few phylogenetic and biogeographical studies have been carried out on Zelkova, but these studies had small sample sizes or weak representation of wild populations.
A more comprehensive phylogeographical analysis, based on trnH–psbA, trnL and internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2), was the first to use a wide sampling of natural populations from nearly all the disjunct regions where Z. abelicea, Z. carpinifolia and Z. sicula presently grow.
It aimed to assess the diversity within and among species using DNA from two cellular compartments that have different modes of inheritance and trace different histories.
The genus Zelkova was common throughout northern Europe and North America as late as the Pliocene. However, extensive Pleistocene glaciation has confined the genus to its present range to the eastern Mediterranean islands and the Caucasus, and in eastern Asia where only local glaciation occurred. Species of Zelkova were important elements of the vast forests that prevailed throughout the Northern Hemisphere during much of the Cenozoic Period. 
Today, the genus comprises six species with disjunct distribution patterns: three in eastern Asia [Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino; Zelkova schneideriana Hand.-Mazz.; and Zelkova sinica C. K. Schneid.], one in southwestern Asia [Zelkova carpinifolia (Pall.) C. Koch] and two on the Mediterranean islands of Sicily (Zelkova sicula Di Pasq., Garfi & Quézel) and Crete [Zelkova abelicea (Lam.) Boiss.]. The oldest fossils attributed to Zelkova date from the early Eocene (55 million years ago) in western North America, where the genus is extinct today.  In Bulgaria, Zelkova fossils were found in Paleogene and Neogene layers in the following locations: Zelkova ungeri (Ett.) Kov. — Lozenets, Kurilo, Chukurovo in Sofia Region, Dospey in Samokov Region, Pernik, Pirin Mine in Blagoevgrad Region, Bobov Dol in Kyustendil Region; Zelkova praelonga Berger — Pirin Mine in Blagoevgrad Region. 
Zelkova abelicea is endemic to Crete (Greece); it has a fragmentary distribution in the four main mountain regions of Crete (Lefka Ori, Psiloritis, Dikti and Thrypti), between 900 and 1800 m above sea level, which corresponds to the upper timberline. It grows mainly on north-facing slopes or in and around rocky river-beds and gullies which remain moist during dry summers. The species is highly endangered through habitat fragmentation and destruction, overgrazing, fire and water stress.
The Sicilian Zelkova Z. sicula, only discovered in 1991, is listed as an endangered species. The two known populations close to Syracuse (Bosco Pisano and Ciranna) comprise a small number of low shrubs suffering from severe overgrazing; the natural mature size of undamaged specimens is unknown.
Whilst all the known Zelkova taxa are currently in cultivation and in botanic gardens or arboreta, relatively few collections are known to be from wild sourced material or known in the countries of their natural distribution. Z. sicula and Z. abelicea are the two taxa considered to be at most risk of extinction (Critically Endangered and Vulnerable). These two Zelkova species are the two with the most restricted natural distribution—both are small island endemics. The Zelkova with the widest natural distribution, Z. serrata, is also the most common Zelkova in botanic garden collections 
Phylogeography, using chloroplast and mitochondrial markers, has mostly focused on the Quaternary and the influence of the cycles of glaciation on species distribution and structure.  Phylogeography has, however, also been used to document more ancient patterns, with some of them presumably dating as far back as the early Miocene. The retrieval of ancient patterns may be specific to tree species, which are assumed to evolve more slowly than herbaceous plants and shrubs.  Zelkova trees live for centuries, which is a good indication that ancient patterns might be recovered using molecular markers.
A few phylogenetic and biogeographical studies have been carried out on Zelkova, but these studies had small sample sizes or weak representation of wild populations. A more comprehensive phylogeographical analysis, based on trnH–psbA, trnL and internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2), was the first to use a wide sampling of natural populations from nearly all the disjunct regions where Z. abelicea, Z. carpinifolia and Z. sicula presently grow. It aimed to assess the diversity within and among species using DNA from two cellular compartments that have different modes of inheritance and trace different histories.
Zelkova