Here are three images of a few Acer palmatum 'Kurui jishi'. Also known as "Crazy Lion" or "Confused Lion". It is a dwarf crinkle leaf variety that will get about 6' tall. It takes full sun and tolerates our Southeastern heat. This first picture is a plant that I bought as a 1 gallon in 1997. It is now in a 3g and more than ready to be planted in the landscape. The picture was made in October 2001. The picture on the right is of two 1 gallon maples that I grafted in the summer of 2002. The pots are so close together that it looks like one plant. This picture was made in June 2003. The picture in the left, lower portion of the screen is of the three gallon maple pictured directly above it,made in April 2003.
More 'Kurui jishi' Here are three pictures of two 'Kurui jishi' that I grafted about two years ago. Yes there are two pictured. The first photo was made 3-25-03. They are fairly new grafts, not yet a year old. The next photo was made 4-14-04, not yet two years of age. The last picture was made in the late afternoon of 7-1-04 and these young grafts are still not yet two years old. The growth rate of these plants has been impressive to me and the appearance of the foliage, the color and texture, is vibrant. This is an excellent cultivar for me and it's performance proves it's excellence for the southeastern region.
These great plants are so darned hard to photograph. But I hope this will turn out if you click on the photo and see the detail.
Here's one of my kurui jishis in a photo taken October 17, 2007. I find these cultivars difficult to photograph because of the curled lobes and tiny leaves, but I think in this photo you can see that the fall colors are wonderful.
I grow a few small 'Kurui jishi' they have a delightful character the "crazy" or "confused" comes across i think.
Well, here goes my first post. Kurui Jishi. Fall 2013. Developed some nice fall color this past season. Planted in ground soon after photo. Winter was brutal in NJ and it lost of bit of shape, going to be a couple years to recover winter damage. Still one of my favorites.
Hi - I'm Chris, a retired Anglican/Episcopal priest now gardening in France. I confess to being a bit of an 'Acer junkie', and brought 69 A.palmatum (mostly pot grown) here with me when I came here! This is my first post on this forum. I fell in love with A.p. 'Kurui Jishi' when I saw it in a local garden recently, but it seems almost unobtainable in UK or European horticulture. Anybody know any reason for this please - does it have particular vices when grown in a European climate? I've finally managed to locate one, but before I buy it I'd like any advice to save me wasting my hard-earned pension! Many thanks!
Also available from Esveld, lots of stock and easy to order on line (Dick van der Maat is a smaller operation, more geared towards wholesale). www.esveld.nl -E
Thank you both - I'd found it on the Esveld list (the Vandermaat list is mouth-watering though..). But I thought that I'd just check it will survive for me....
Well, I got my 'Kurui Jishi' from Esveld as a Christmas present, but sadly it never leafed properly before being hit by late frost. 'Japanese Maples' says that some have found it less than reliably hardy, and I notice the garden where I first saw it had it in a sheltered spot, and was not far from the sea. I'm so relieved I didn't pay 130 euros for one (see earlier), but the question now is 'do I replace it?' Any advice please? Thank you. Chris
Westonbirt Arboretum, May 2024, this tree was planted in 2005 and seems healthy. Looks like a blob from any distance though, pretty unshapely when grown in ground and left to fend for itself. I guess that is one of the reasons why they call it "Crazy" or "Confused". Would probably be better in a garden situation where it could be pruned to shape and trained over the years. For a lanscape planting 'Okushimo' is a much better option, with a similar leaf shape and an attractive upright growth habit.
