Last fall, my local nursery had a "bargain bin" with some maples that they lost the labels for and could no longer identify. I picked up 7 of them. A couple of them had already lost their leaves, and the others were deep in fall colors, so I had no idea what I was buying. I've watched them leaf out this spring, and I'm having trouble making guesses as to what they are. I think I know 2 of them, but the others are a mystery. I'll keep my guesses to myself for now and let yall try and ID them. These trees were all purchased from Greer Gardens, so you can limit your guesses to maples that they carry. Here's a link to their online catalog: http://www.greergardens.com/acers.htm Thanks, Sasquatch Unknown #1
Unknown #7- This one really confuses me. The bark is red, and it seems to stay red on older wood. Leaves look sorta like a shirasawanum. It was one of the first trees to leaf out in my garden, even though it was in a cool shady spot.
#5 = 'Kasagiyama'? Some of those others will be a little hard to pin down. The leaves of #7 look a little like Acer sieboldianum, but never heard of one with red bark.
I was thinking #5 is either Purple Ghost or Kasigiyama. The color is in between the two. The red bark on #7 really throws me for a curve also. I have guesses for #2 and #6 as well as #5, but the others are a mystery.
These are just what I see that look the most similar to what I have this spring, I currently have 97 palmatums and an Aureum. The nurseries and collectors that I bought these from named them not me and I know they make mistakes too. 1. Oshio Beni 2. Skeeter's Broom 3. Tsumagaki (if the leaves are green and the tips are reddish after full leafing) 4. Suminigashi 5. Purple Ghost 6. Azuma Murasaki 7. not familiar with Japonicum species
I don't think so. I have a small O taki, and the leaves on it are much rounder than this tree. O taki's lobes are shallower as well. I think the sieboldianum guess may be correct, but don't see any in Greer's catalog that would match.
For #1, I wouldn't have guessed Oshi beni, but looking closer, you may be correct. #3 may be Tsuma gaki, Tsuma beni, Tana, or something else with similar spring colors. I'll be watching this one. #4- That was the closest guess I've come up with looking at photos in Maples 4th edition $5- Probably a Purple Ghost. My Kasagiyama has green tints to it, but this tree is still pure red-purple. #6 Azuma murasaki was my guess also #7- Still a mystery. Thanks for playing. I'll post updated photos in a few weeks. Saquatch
#7 looks a lot like sieboldianum to me too, which does have very red wood in winter. Not the species perhaps though, the leaves look a little more dissected. -E
#6 looks very similar to 2 mislabeled maples I received a number of years ago, and the best guess at an ID I could come up with for those maples was also 'Azuma murasaki'. (I need to find a live specimen to view and confirm the ID, but that is proving difficult around here.) Off topic - I am surprised our maples are so far ahead of you guys in the PNW this year - it seems you have had a very late spring whereas ours was very early.
We have had a cold wet spring. In February, it seemed that Spring was beginning, and thenqwe got a depp freeze foollowed by 2 months of cool wet weather. I still have a few trees that aren't leafesd out yet. Sharp's Pygmy and Akita Yatsubusa are barely beginning to leaf out and my Tana is still opening. In past years, by May 1, everything was fully leafed out in my yard.
i will throw a new one at you for number 6 as it looks a lot like my 'Kinran' in the spring but like a previous poster mentioned the nurseries dont always have them right on the tags. maybe i have 'Azuma mrusaki'. i think 5 is 'Purple Ghost' without much reticulation and my 'Tsuma gaki' is red on the tips as soon as it comes out so if number 3 does not have red fingernails yet, consider 'Ichigyoji' as mine comes out with relaxed hand and rose tips. looking forward to seeing current pictures justin
