According to van Gelderen it was named by J.Russel in Great Britain about 1988. Synonym A. palmatum 'Mapi no machi hime'. The same author mentions that there is confusion regarding this cultivar as two clones are in cultivation, bearing the same name. One resembles 'Chiyo hime' and the other resembles 'Kiyo hime'; the illustration in the book corresponds to the first one. In 'Japanese Maples', 3rd edition, Vertrees/Gregory say the same thing concerning the confusion, however in their Pocket Guide only the 'Kiyo hime'-like clone is mentioned and pictured, I wonder whether Peter figured it out in between the two books. On the other hand chiyo hime means little princess...... My tree is the 'Kiyo hime'-like clone and is planted in the ground in heavy shade. It is a very, very early leafer and gets full leaf coverage fairly quickly, so for a while it has all the attention since the other maples are not ready yet. The first two pics were taken in March and the third one in August. I do not remember the fall color ;o) Gomero
Here are some photos of the Little Princess I received this year. The tree is about 4' wide and 18" tall.
This one is so cute, it nearly equals my Beni Hime. Signs of things to come in Autumn starting to appear. Photo 3rd August 2020.
After this morning's drizzle (about 1mm, dry under the leaves). It's potted and the roots regularly trimmed so the internodes and the leaves tend to stay small, but I can understand why it's called "little" Princess :
@AlainK, rain at last Alain, if only a little. Your Little Princess is holding up very well indeed with the heat you have been suffering.
15th August 2020, lots of rain at last, the leaves have freshend up so quickly. My misting I carry out in the evenings in hot weather was of no use this year when temperatures were in the mid 30 C 's for many many days. It just evaporated so quickly. Such dainty leaves on this cultivar, amongst all my others it's easy to walk past. This is why in 2019 I removed all my lawn and created a wooded garden with a winding path to slow movement down whilst amongst my maples. The birds seem to be enjoying it as well, which is an added bonus I was trying to achieve.
21st August 2020, two named Summer storms are going to hit later today with winds of 50 mph plus, so I thought it better to take photos early. All have picked up this last week due to cooler conditions and long awaited rain. The colours are changing !!!! So very early in the day, the sun was almost saying, "Wake up Little princess". Every leaf on every tree in my garden is enjoyed by my wife and I every single day. So important to just be there if you know what I mean!!
A little supermarket purchase that I just couldn't resist this morning. Got to say there's been some really healthy looking specimens at some bargain prices around this year.
And what a lovely thing to have in the shopping trolley. Resistance is definatly futile when confronted with such things as maples. Good find N. Edit 1. Little Princess is a synonym btw for 'Chiyohime'. Just thought I would mention it for your records.
A surprise find on eBay for ridiculously cheap, so I had to jump on it. It's already putting out tons of new leaves, so it's been a good decision by the looks of it:
Unsure on this one to be honest, could be my placement. Feel like it’d bonsai well, it’s low and dense. Works well with the surroundinfg ferns and hostas when they come through…
