Acer palmatum 'Iijima sunago'

Photos taken 07/11/2005 with some filtered mid-day sun on the leaves.

 

Michael,
Very nice leaf shape and good colors, I guess that it stays red through the summer. Does it take full sun?
Gomero

 

Hi Gomero,

I don't remember what happens to the colors on this one from here until fall. They emerge a good deep purple and change to the red-orange color you see now. According to Vertrees, the summer color becomes a purplish-brown, but it is looking to me that it will be more orange.

A tough quality to see is the Fu type veriegation that can come through as a green from now and into summer. I do remember a striking fall display of orange, so I look forward to that again. What is somewhat unique is the large size of the leaf and the deep dissection coupled with the green-yellow mid-vein. I will keep posting photos as the seasons pass.

It seems very slow growing and to me, a variety with very large leaves that is slow growing is quite and attractive combination. This plant is readily available here and I would suspect in Europe also.

Best regards,
Michael

 

The picture below was taken Nov. 5 2005 and shows the fall color of "Iijma sunago'. This plant was grafted in 1995, is planted in full sun and is about 2 meters tall.

 

I was not impressed with this plant until I found the "right " location. For years I only saw drab emerald green leaves from my 'Iijima sunago'. This year I situated a plant in a sunnier location and the drab gave way to a fantastic orange coloration.

This plant demonstates to me that location, location, location is so important when evaluating plants.

 

Here are some beautiful colors from ours in late spring this year.

 

I strongly agree!!

Gomero

 

I just thought I'd add these two pics to see if anyone has experienced this coloration. There are two iijima sunago specimens and they both showed their normal red/brown/orange color in spring, but it slowly faded to this bright yellowish color. It is located in full sun in South Car.

Pictures were taken June 30, 2007.

BTW this tree isn't mine, it is at the nursery I work at.

 

My first year with this plant was a real disappointment. Just basic green in spring, summer and fall. During the following winter we cut some of the canopy above this cultivar to provide more filtered light, and the following spring it seemed like a different tree emerged with dramatic colors. This photo was taken July 11, 2007 and hopefully demonstrates the "sunago fu" for which it was named. This is an outstanding cultivar.

 

Japanese Maple List, 1882. Fall colour , pics 1,2, and 3 - Oct. 10/07. Pic 4 - Oct. 20/07. Tree must be moved, too close to Davidia involucrata in background.

 

This year, the spring/summer color is a beautiful combination of red-yellow-green. Better than I've ever seen on this plant.

seventrees

 

I love the lush vividness.

 

Oh, Winterhaven, here we are again with a much underrated cultivar. This is a SPLENDID plant, in my estimation. I learned of its great spring and autumn color prior to buying one many years ago, and for the first year my young plant was just green-green-green and not interesting at all. Then the next year its colors knocked my socks off. It's been a favorite since then.
Happy growing.
mapledia

 

For my first birthday after we moved to the new home hubby took me to the nursery to buy me a JM that I had put on hold. That's ONE. But when we got there, he fell in love with this one and I feel in love with that one. We came home with SIX. LOL.

Anyway, one of the ones he fell in love with had this green-yellow bark that shaded to yellow at the ends and had this neat looking pepper effect. In retrospect, I bought a sick tree. But what did I know?

Well that tree struggled in its wooden box but lived for almost a year. Hubby thought my reluctance to put it in the ground (I was still learning the sun/shade/drainage patterns of the new place and I didn't want to potentially contaminate my ground if it was sick) caused its misery. I worried that was true, that I had over or under watered. But just before fall I finally gave up trying to nurse it to health and took it back. During the time we had it, that tree was every visitor's favorite, as well as hubby's (despite its sad state). But when I went to replace the tree the name on the label, Tsukasa beni, did not correspond to the characteristics of hubby's tree. His tree leafed out this deep maroon with yellow veining. The maroon became a rich red with orange tones in which the veining was still prominent. It held that red all year long (in one of my brightest locations and while stressed). I didn't see the fall because I returned it.

At first I thought the tree was a mislabeled Beni Tsukasa, but the characteristics didn't match. Then I thought maybe Tuskushigata and that prompted the acquisition of mine, for which I am grateful. But not what I was looking for. I now suspect that the tree was 'Iijima sunago' and that's what prompted my acquisition of this cultivar.

I've looked at a number of online photos and it seems like there is quite a bit of variation caused by location. But I suspect there is also quite a lot of variation within the cultivar itself, as we have seen in so many others. I look forward to watching this one and seeing if, at long last, this is the mystery tree.

 

Hi Winterhaven, I'm not at all surprised you had some trouble identifying Iijima Sunago. If your plant behaves like mine does, it's a chameleon which has whims about how it will present itself from year to year. During it's first year in my garden, my Iijima Sunago was a total slug, just green-green-green throughout the growing season, and I was not at all impressed with it. The second year it knocked my socks off with its color. I'll try to show some of its variations below. The left photo was taken May 7, 2006; the middle photo was taken April 13, 2007; and the right photo was taken April 24, 2007. I'll try to add another post with other photos.
mapledia

 

Winterhaven, hopefully there will be three more photos here of Iijima Sunago. The first photo was taken July 11, 2007; the middle photo taken April 22, 2009; and the right photo taken May 5, 2009. All photos were taken of the same plant. I think this is a great cultivar, and it always surprises me with its color and form. Hope you are enjoying yours.
mapledia

 

Nice photos , plus the larger size is appreciated mapledia.

 

Thanks, mapledia

Wow, chameleon was right! Not only huge color change but even the leaf shape looks slightly different.

 

here is some early fall color on one of my Iijima sunago trees. Not quite the bright orange & yellow colors of some years. Maybe it will turn the vivid colors.

 

I love this tree! My husband bought this for me in 2008, and it is the highlight of my woodland garden!

 

First flush, Spring 2011

I over wintered this guy in my garage and I noticed about two weeks ago the buds were pushing through, so I brought it in my house and let it go next to a sunny window.

At this point, it looks great - a considerable amount of new growth, in about a week or so it will be ready to move outdoors full time.

Cheers,
CSL

 

this is still one of my favorite trees for color.

 

I find the look of the leaves to be great.

 

this is a 100percent an outstanding maple, cycles colors throughout the season. cant wait to find one that has good form and ill add it to my yard!

 

Hey rwinktown, I totally agree that this is an outstanding JM. Go to whatever lengths you have to to find one for your garden. This JM will not disappoint. BTW, though, the first one I got did absolutely NOTHING the first year (I was so disappointed that I nearly wrote it off), but the second year all the normal colors showed and knocked my socks off, and those colors have continued ever since. It's a great tree.