I managed to raise three seedlings from a dozen seeds I pinched in a park. Probably Acer tataricum ssp ginnala 'Flame' (see Identification: - Three maples in a park) Although they're in the same place, with the same soil mix, one looks very healthy, and one looks sick (the third one is in-between). I can't tell how close to the mother-tree these can be. Tere are A. palmatum cultivars around, but no other from the Section Ginnala, so I think the chances they are hybrids are close to nil, but they might have reverted. We'll see: so far, they were kept in the shade, I'll put them in a more exposed spot when the heat wave ends (38° here, 20° at night!), if the winter doesn't come too soon, they will have at least an extra two months before they shed their leaves. acer-tataricum-fl-00_160826a.jpg acer-tataricum-fl-001_160826a.jpg acer-tataricum-fl-002_160826a.jpg
Hi Alain, Yes, awful weather for maples just now... Why do you suspect these are 'Flame' rather than just A. tataricum ssp ginnala? (FWIW -- maybe not much -- I think this is the correct name). My understanding now is that 'Flame' is not a cultivar but a seed strain. It is not reliable for red fall colour, or not more so than the species in any case. I have 'Flame' from a reliable source, it is supposed to be a rooted cutting. It is generally underwhelming compared to other ginnala specimen, and it's a well established tree too. These do put up with a huge amount of abuse, including direct sun, so if you want to see some red you might give them some more light. cheers, -E
