After some tender love and care, the mystery cultivar revials it self. Its a ordinary acer palmatum atropurpureum. But what caused it is not solved..but i´m leaning to drought now...
There is a grafted, clonal 'Atropurpureum' grown and sold in Europe. Otherwise, atropurpureum covers any and all purple-leaved Japanese maples not differing from the typical green-leaved plant markedly except for leaf color.
The one i bought was labeled acer palmatum atropurpureum and was grafted.I´m little confused,do you mean they label all red palmatums atropurpureum that have similar leafs the same? I have also bought a osakazuki at the same place labeled right.How do you mean? maybe its my poore understanding of english that messes things up...
Alternative depictions: A. palmatum f. atropurpureum (van Houtte) Schwer. = A. palmatum var. nigrum hort. ex Rehd. "This is a group name applicable to any seedling or cultivar with markedly reddish or purplish leaves. More than 40 such cultivars exist" --Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees (1996, Ten Speed, Berkeley) A. palmatum 'Atropurpureum' "'Atropurpureum' of Dutch or German origin is usually grown from cuttings or grafted from a superior clone selected by Constant Wattez, Netherlands, before 1910. The cultivar breeds almost true from seed, however, and the plants in cultivation have thus become a grex instead of a clone. The leaf color of seedlings varies, some turning dark green in fall. Several selections have been made and named in past decades, usually being sold as A. palmatum f. atropurpureum. The true clonal cultivar needs a new name, in fact, but renaming would cause confusion. Similar cultivars include A. palmatum 'Bloodgood', 'Fireglow', and 'Nure sagi'" Van Gelderens, Maples for Gardens, (1999, Timber Press, Portland) 'Atropurpureum' "The name is universally used for different clones and seedling plants with red leaves. These should more properly be named Acer palmatum f. atropurpureum. The original plant of this name ['Atropurpureum'] was probably an excellent clone originating from the old nursery of Constant Wattez in Woudenberg, Netherlands (van Gelderen et al. 1994).... ...because many nurseries have used this name ['Atropurpureum'] for any red-leaved seedling selection, it has become so diluted as to be meaningless. It is from such red seedlings that many outstanding cultivars have been selected, such as 'Shojo', 'Nuresagi', and later 'Bloodgood' and 'Moonfire'" --Vertrees (Gregory), Japanese Maples (2001, Timber Press, Portland)
I still think that overspray from Roundup or similar caused the leaf distortions, surely drought would not do that. I was going to comment on the atropurpureum name, but I think Ron has that pretty well covered. Suffice to say I have seen cutting grown plants, seedlings and grafted plants all sold as 'atropurpureum' in the UK.
This thread http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=51909 has an interesting discussion on atropurpureum as well as some pictures of a really nice specimen.
Hi Alex Did you forget to post a pic? Zonebreaker ... your little tree is quite attractive with the lighter coloured edges If those persist you will have a tree which is rather better than the run-of-the-mill Atropurpureum :)
