August 2017 in the Garden - Acer

Douglas Justice's blog for August, August 2017 in the Garden | UBC Botanical Garden, continues his maples theme from last month, which featured very few species, but he made up for it this month. Well, one species, Acer palmatum, but there are so many trees in the Palmata group, and it seemed Douglas couldn't help himself from mentioning all of them, but no, he says he had a hard time selecting. Well, I had a hard time finding them, but Douglas helped with that. So far, I've only got to about half the ones mentioned.

The first one to be seen is Acer sinense, well-identified with the "dense oval-head".


From that paragraph about less familiar Palmata species is Acer tutcheri, back from the trail, with I think a kiwi covering its top.


Also from that paragraph, here are two Acer campbelli:

 

Moving now to the Wilson Glade, here are Acer sieboldianum on the left, A. shirasawanum 'Palmatifolium' in the centre, and A. pauciflorum on the right (and leaning to the right). The next two photos show Acer sieboldianum on the left, A. shirasawanum 'Palmatifolium' on the right.


Here is Acer sieboldianum.


A. shirasawanum 'Palmatifolium'


Continued in next posting.

 

Still in the Wilson Grove, and in the group of trees in the previous posting, here is Acer pauciflorum.


The blog says that the evergreen Acer laevigatum is mostly unnoticed by visitors. There's a good reason for that. Douglas said if I just imagine that the tree I can see and another tree were not there, I'd be looking at the laevigatum. It's a little hidden (seeing it in winter when the other leaves are not there would help), and it's inaccessible too. Some of the stuff in the first photo does not belong to this maple. Nothing on this tree says "maple" to me, except the opposite leaves. The first person to recognize this must have had samaras to look at.


One more to come from this grove.

 

This Acer palmatum subsp. matsumurae is actually outside the grove on Lower Asian Way. I think it has no label, but it was easy to find.


Back to the unusual cultivars theme, here is Acer palmatum 'Aoyagi'. Douglas says in the blog that it's located "on a shaded trail just off Lower Asian Way". I asked if he could possibly be less specific, but it turns out the trail has no marker. It has been named the Cox trail, between Stearn and Forrest. I don't know that I would recognize it for the "remarkable pea-green stems". It's the bottom horizontal branch in the first photo.


Here is one not mentioned in the blog: Acer palmatum 'Omato', probably on Beer trail or else Decaisne.

 

Nice photos, a typo I think, it's A. shirasawanum.

 

Thanks! I've fixed them. Of course I had copied one to the next, thinking I'd never be able to just spell it.

 

I went back to pick up some more photos from the trees mentioned in the blog. Some day I'll actually get them posted. Here are samaras from Acer campbellii, a species mentioned in the first posting here.


And Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum', the other cultivar of this species mentioned.


And Acer davidii that is across the Handel-Mazzetti trail from the 'Aureum'. I had a hard time finding them, went in a complete circle and found them almost where I started, at the end where this trail starts off from Ludlow.


This is the Acer davidii I usually run across, down Wilson from the Moon Gate, across the bridge.

 

Here is one more Acer palmatum from the Asian garden mentioned in the blog: A. palmatum 'Osakazuki':


In the Alpine garden, here are A. palmatum 'Shin-deshojo'


and A. palmatum 'Seiryu'.

Edited on June 23, 2022: I linked to this elsewhere and the ID was called in question. I checked with Douglas Justice, who confirmed that I have the wrong tree for the 'Seiryu' here: "Yes, the wrong tree. The ‘Seiryu’ is up the hill at the corner of the path. It’s a largish cultivar, typically with ascending-spreading branches, which makes it distinctive, and unusual for a dissected-leaf Japanese maple."

 

Two other Acer palmatum in the Alpine garden were not mentioned in the blog, but they're very prominently positioned good-looking trees.
A. palmatum 'Atropurpureum'


and A. palmatum 'Katsura'

 

The blog takes a little detour into Acer japonicum, downy Japanese maple. I was pretty excited to actually see some downiness in one of my photos.


Here is the familiar cultivar A. japonicum 'Aconitifolium'

and A. japonicum 'O-isami'

[Edited]I have added one more from the 'O-isami' taken August 31, showing the downy leaf back.

 

One more of this species, A. japonicum 'Vitifolium'.


I'm getting to the end here. One more mentioned was Acer erianthum, distinctive for its upright flower stalks, not at all obvious from the few samaras seen here.

 

Wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to take, organize, and post these great photos and details. I really appreciate it!

 

I have finally got to the last paragraph in the blog, on Acer circinatum. Here is the tree in the Garry Oak meadow, in front of the A. macrophyllum. There is an Abies grandis, grand fir, in there as well.


The two cultivars were very surprising to me. This is the cutleafed Acer circinatum 'Monroe'. It's a good thing it had samaras, or I'd never have believed the species ID. I was trying to feature the green stems in the second photo.


And Acer circinatum 'Little Gem'. I've seen postings on witches broom cultivars, so appreciated seeing one. I don't know if it has its fall colours already just because it has been so dry here or that's normal for this.

 

One more, not from the blog. This Acer glabrum var. glabrum is in the BC Rainforest Garden. I'm hoping the red stems and buds are an identifying feature.

 

Here is some autumn colour for some of the maples in this thread, but I'll start with my favourite, which was not mentioned, Acer miyabei. Best leaves, best samaras, though I didn't see any samaras today (but I did post those five years ago at Two maples, Acer miyabei and unnamed species).


Here is Acer japonicum


and A. japonicum 'O-isami'


Here is A. shirasawanum 'Palmatifolium'.

 

Thanks for taking us on such a wonderful journey! I appreciate your generosity in sharing these beautiful photos and you taking the time to do so.

 

I am double-posting this Acer davidii (tree in posting #7 above) bark-in-the-rain photo, because it belongs here, as well as in the Maples bark colours thread.