A splendid dwarf, often referred to as a very dwarf form of/similar to Kamagata. I really like this cultivar as it is a strong grower and very hardy. For those looking for a true dwarf maple for bonsai, container culture, or just a rock garden, this one is ideal. It has fairly large leaves for such a dwarf plant and the leaves layer nicely on longer petioles. As a comparison to an easier to locate maple, Yuri hime displays nearly the same color tones as Sharp's Pygmy, displaying nearly the same muted green most of the season. There is no spring color per se and fall color is not great. Very small amounts of annual growth make this a very difficult maple to propagate. The The tree pictured is 3 years old. The first photo was taken 4/17/05, just after leaf out, and the other two photos are from 5/1/05.
I also like this cultivar very much. I very much prefer it to Sharp's Pigmy in both its growth habit and in the layering of the leaves. It's a strong grower, as mentioned, and I've found it very easy to air layer. For me, it's one of the first cultivars to leaf out in the spring. When it leafs out, it has a nice if not spectacular red trim to the leaf tips when it first emerges, as shown in the mid-April picture below. Best regards, Carl
Carl, What tree did you post a photo of? I have always loved your photography, the black backdrop works very well for plants. Quality aside, I don't think we are showing the same tree. Yours looks familiar for another dwarf, but I was wondering what the mature leaves look like, as I think the photo is of spring? Michael
Michael, The photo is springtime. I've attached the only picture I have of non-spring foliage, a shot taken in early October last year. I apologize for the photo quality - this was never intended for this purpose. Best regards, Carl
Hi Carl, Thanks for the additional photos. That was my first thought, only because the tree did not look like Kiyohime or any of the other dwarf cultivars I grow and I know Tamahime is often sold for use in bonsai. I took some time this morning to google the internet and I think that is a pretty good guess at this point. Maybe the gentleman you bought the tree from can confirm this. Well done! Michael
Michael, Thanks for catching this! I think you're right. The similarity of the leaves to those of kiyohime is striking, but the tree has a very different growth habit. Worse still, I realized once you posted that I had never seen any other example of yuri hime, even in a picture (it's listed but not illustratedin Vertrees 2nd ed.) I'll try to verify from the seller; you'll find more details in a private message. --- Should I delete my posts above so that this thread isn't confused by pictures of the wrong cultivar? Best regards, Carl
How about we thicken the plot? This is one of my newest additions. A Yuri hime. Well, maybe. There seems to be some question on just what a Yuri hime looks like. I just received this 'Yuri hime' second-year graft from a nursery on the east coast. It looks much like Carl's. Although they may appear much larger, the average size of the leaves are about 2.5 to 3.0 cm long and 3.0 to 3.5 cm wide. Petioles are about 1 cm. I'm not sure what to think as there is no mention of the red leaf margins in either the Yuri hime or Tama hime descriptions in the 3rd ed. Whatever it is, I'm in awe of it's leaves. They are among my very, very favorites for coloration and form. Bryan
Hi Bryan, Nice photo - that is almost certainly the same plant as mine. On the other hand, the plant shown at mountain maples (www.mountainmaples.com) looks a lot like Michael's. Could this cultivar be mixed up in the trade? I'll continue investigating... Best regards, Carl
Here is a photo taken today--the correct form of Yuri hime. I have still not decided what the two of you, Bryan and Carl, have. At one time Oto hime came to mind as I past by one. Not sure. On this photo you can spot the new growth on this plant which will account for about all it will see on any given twig. Still a favorite of mine. MJH
Thanks for the update, Michael! I still don't know what cultivar I really have - though now that you mention it, `oto hime' is an excellent guess! With my best regards, Carl
I am new to the J. Maple scene but while browsing the ebay.com selection I found this. Seems very much similar to the "unknown". http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/16/82/a9_1_b.JPG (listed as 'YAma Hime')
One year later. Spring came early here. No good shot in early spring. Pic 1 taken 3/10 and pic 2 on 4/12.
I think I may understand a bit of the confusion here. Unfortunately I can't verify it with certainty, and I can't even remember where I read about this. So, I'm posting here hoping that this catches the attention of someone who may have more insight. I believe there is a "Yuri hime" and a "Yuri hime sport". It seems they get confused quite often, and I think nurseries may not always label them correctly. From memory one had smaller and more rounded leaves, while the other had a bit larger and more deeply cut leaves. -- Although I've seen both offered under either name.