Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' The one you have shown is a sentry maple, Acer saccharum 'Newton Sentry'. "In 1954, B. Harkness proposed the name A. saccharum 'Newton Sentry' to replace F.L. Temple's name A. saccharum 'Columnare', since the latter was hopelessly confused in the nursery trade with Temple's A. saccharum 'Monumentale'. The confusion has remained, and even authoritative books and reputable nurseries continue to bungle the names and descriptions." - Arthur Lee Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees A sentry maple in Spokane, WA was 60' high in 1988. A commercial property near me had several until recently, when it was redeveloped.
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' To some people today Monumentale and Temple's Upright are synonymous whereas Newton Sentry is another Sugar Maple altogether. I think the links below will support that notion. http://depts.washington.edu/wpa/plants/maple.htm http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/a/aceacc/aceacc3.html http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/kytreewebsite/commonnamefiles/text/asaccharinuminfo.htm Jim
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' "There are two quite dissimilar cultivars, and yet mass confusion. Usually this cultivar has been sold as 'Columnare' but that name, although both oldest and most apt, has been proclaimed invalid because of a technicality. Moreover, the name 'Columnare' has also been applied to 'Temple's Upright' and to another clone ('selected from the best of those planted by Barney Slavin in Rochester, New York') sold by Scanlon nursery of Ohio in the 1960s and early 70s. The original 'Columnare' which is now properly called 'Newton Sentry' is pencil-slim, almost ludicrously skinny. It has few ascending branches, with several competing central leaders and stubby lateral branches. The leaves are dark, leathery, hairy beneath, with wavy margins. Fall color is primarily yellow and orange. The original specimen was discovered (<1871) in the yard of Claflin Grammar School of Newton, MA, and later (<1885) moved to Newton Cemetary. It was introduced commercially in 1885-86 by F.L. Temple of Shady Hill nursery of Cambridge, MA, as (here is the technical objection) A. saccharinum 'Columnare'. It is likely a cultivar of the BLACK SUGAR-MAPLE (supspecies nigrum)." - North American Landscape Trees
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' I learned, right or wrong, the less narrow more pyramidal form and the slower grower of the two to be the Newton Sentry synonymous with Columnare whereas I learned the other Maple, the narrower and more stricta form, to be Temple's Upright synonymous with Monumentale. It does make one wonder how the Maples are labeled at Maples of Washington Park Arboretum since they consider themselves to have both forms. Which one do they consider to be the narrower in growth habit of the two Maples? The problem with the naming is still rampant depending on where we are located. In certain circles in Europe it seems the Monumentale and Columnare still are synonymous. What a mess! http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantlist.asp?code=CMCN+ http://jardinjp.com/galleries/galerie-Acer/AAC771-Acer s, 'Monumentale-Columnare'.html Jim
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' I haven't noticed how they are labeled at the Arboretum. You can contact Jacobson via his web site, if you like. He lives nearby, has been there alot recently.
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' Hi Ron: I think this subject has reached its end for now. I know how to tell the two forms apart, at least for me. I will let others put the right name on the right plant. What I don't want to see is one arboretum list them one way and see another arboretum have them labeled backwards from the other. Then I'd get a little upset at someone. The Newton Sentry in an elevation around 2500- 4000 feet grown near here will turn some scarlet for Fall color starting from the top of the tree downward. Quite striking in some years when we almost get a 3 tiered colored effect of red, then orange and then golden tones at the lower portions of the Maple. At least people will know thanks to you that the photo shown above is not that of a Norway Maple. Mr. Jacobson got into more information on these forms than I knew but I still foresee real problems in the naming to last for a long while. What I thought was interesting was that Mr. Jacobson and the RHS felt that Monumentale was a cultivar of the subspecies. I am not sure about that but I am also not going to argue with them either as they just may have it right - Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum 'Monumentale'. Unless there is a third form and I do not even want to go there. Time to move onto the next Maple I think. Best regards, Jim
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' A new one is 'Barrett Cole' APOLLO(R) PP 10590. It may also be a black maple: a columnar sugar maple I saw at the J. Frank Schmidt Arboretum in 2002 had black maple foliage - but I don't remember if it was definitely this same introduction. Those interested in seeing a full description can try a Plant Patent Number Search on the US Patent and Trade Office web site.
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' I sent an email to a friend who works for the Washington Park Arboretum to see if they had anything to say about the trees. I received this from Randall Hitchin, the WPA registrar (and de facto curator): "We have a fair amount of faith in both of these accessions; they came from the same reputable source. We presume there was no mix-up. On the other hand, Brian Mulligan (then-Arboretum Director) and Mr. Harkness (the man who named the cultivars) went back and forth on the identity of them, according to our information. So it's certainly within the realm of possibility there is a mistake." This does not answer the question of which is which, but if the Director at the time was in communication with Mr. Harkness, I would hope that the maples are labelled correctly.
Re: acer platanoides 'monumental' Hi Eric: Thank you for trying. We may get an answer yet as to which is which. Things could be even better if they can provide some photos of their two Maples. Perhaps they may name their "reputable source" as it can come in handy to know that later should any headway be made on this dilemma. I hope that for now we do not place too much thought into "Black Maple" (Acer nigrum or Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum) as I think that can confuse the current issue at hand even more so than it already is. Thanks again for your help, Jim
Re: Acer platanoides 'Monumental' have one in my back yard it is about 10' tall by 6"wide.Great fall show and conversation piece.