I planted some A. truncatum seeds and I have already put some of them in individual pots, but some look quite different from what I expected. Contrary to the one on the right of the photo, some have serrated leaves: is this something usual?
@AlainK , can you describe how these seedlings developed with the years? I am very curious. Next to the building where I work, there are A. truncatum and A. platanoides. Both species produce tons of seeds, and there are numerous seedlings all over the area.. Even though there are some without visible cotyledons above the ground, they all seem to be truncatum x platanoides hybrids or just plain platanoides. I have never seen a seedling that looks like the parent A. truncatum. The suspected hybrids have all sorts of leaf shapes and colors..
Here are few examples of the hybrid seedlings. One of them was left unchecked for several years and is now almost 4 meters tall. With nice red emerging leaves that seem to glow in the sun.
I managed to get rid of a few ;-) but I still have 5 left, that are pot-bound. At least, it shows the leaves can be reduced, which is good for... bonsai ! There's one that has redder new leaves than the others, but that's probably due to the weather and/or the roots and/or the soil : I'm not sure at all that I can send one outside Europe, which is a pity for I would have been happy to send you one... :-(
They look great! And so different from each other. I know that truncatum can display a lot of variability, but are you sure they are 100% truncatum? Not that it matters, they are gorgeous! What is your opinion about the maple in my first picture (the small one), is it pure truncatum?
I wouldn't dare have an opinion on any seedling ! ;0) They need a few years to show what they will look like when established. For instance, this is a photo of the seedlings on their first year (2016) and in their second year (2017) : Depending on the soil, the climate, the exposure, if you used fertilizer or not, if the summer is very hot or the winter very cold, etc. They can look pretty different when very young. Like most trees, esp. maples, I think they need at least 3 to 4 years to really show their characteristics. And as I said, mine are pot-bound, I didn't think the roots would fill in the pots so quickly. No doubt they would look a bit different if I had repotted them last year...
Those look great! For sure, truncatum can get pretty wild and indented. Also for sure, it hybridizes very easily with platanoides. But the last pic 2 from Alain doesn't look like a hybrid to me, although only the next years will tell. They aren't always terribly hardy...
Here is my truncatum x platanoides seedling. It seems that the indentation will be much more pronounced this year (first two photos). The rest of the pictures are from mid-November last year. I thought the color was interesting, that is why I kept the seedling.
Few more examples of the “hybrid” seedlings compared with a platanoides seedling (last picture and upper left corner of picture 2).
And don't they look wonderful growing naturally where the seeds dropped. Photo two seedlings are my favourites N.
Update for the color of my hybrid truncatum x platanoides seedling. It will eventually transition to green for the summer. I enjoy leaf color changes a lot.
I agree N, the transition phases are just amazing. Your hybrid truncatum x platanoides is looking really special. I love it.
Here are all the pictures from 27 April to today, 6 May, combined. I will also post one when the leaves turn completely green. Forgot to mention that the leaves are more truncatum size, while the shape is obviously more platanoides.
The colours are more truncatum too, that's what makes them unique. Definitely a keeper. Never put your address online, someone with bad intentions might steal it from you and register it !
Here's our not-very-friendly page where you can do it: Maple Cultivar Registration | The Maple Society
