I spotted two trident maples by the Loire, their trunks about 25-30 cm in diameter, and they have leaves that are a bit different from mine and those I can see in parks around. Do you think it's because of the place the seeds were from ? Here is a photo of the seeds I gathered this morning with their leaves on the right, and in the bottom left, a leaf from one I have had in the ground for many years, but which is younger :
Either that, or they are from a different variety. Acer buergerianum is notoriously leaf-variable already in its natural distribution area. Flora of China, which is very splitty usually when it comes to give out new species names, lists six infraspecific taxa. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012930 What you have there, are essentially the endpoints of trident maple leaves. Duck-foot shaped to distinctly trilobed. I got into (science-related) touch with a couple of them, their leaf variability is as amazing as chaotic. In the arboretum of the University of Tübingen, you have (had) three trident maples with somewhat different leaves (from different provenances), including one that covers (covered, haven't been there for two decades) both the leaf types in your pic. Keeping them apart can be extremely challenging, also in natural populations, you may have a mix. Professional scientists have however never really looked into the species and the cause for this variation, although it is widespread and common across East Asia (https://www.gbif.org/species/7100404), or their group. Too complex for our simplifying models. But the species is possibly one of the most interesting maples on Earth when it comes to leaf shapes and what triggers them. The trees in Tübingen were not only phenotypically variable, but also genetically. If you grow them from the seeds, and the next generation, the result could be surprising. And if the found ones keep their shape, it adds a nice variation to show to visitors.
Thanks for your input grimmiges, As I wrote, all those I've seen here in France, either as bonsai or in parks and arboretums, have the three lobes that are shown in the bottom left of my picture, that explains why I got so interested in trying to find out explanations. Hey ! That's what seed growers expect each time they plant a seed ! :-) Doctor Strangelove syndrom probably <LOL> Thanks again for your comment, much appreciated. A.K.
