As the leaves start to pop out, one of the spring shows I enjoy most are the intense reds and pinks of A.p. 'Corallinum' and cousins like 'Shin deshojo'. These plants truly rival flowers in their coloration. I just purchsed a newer one I have no experience with called 'Oki kasame', which claims to be the most intense, and so far it seems to be living up to the claim. Anyone had experience with this cultivar? Which is your favorite in this class of JMs?? First pic is my plant, with leaves just starting to emerge. Second pic is from the grower of a plant a little further along.
Oki Kasame: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=50392 This year both Oki Kasame and Shin deshojo swelled at the same time. Shin deshojo is mostly opening, Oki Kasame is beginning to open. Again, Shin deshojo has more pink to its red and Oki Kasame has more of a true red or even orange hints to it. I watched a Corallinum at a nursery last year. Keep in mind their climate is different from mine. But what I saw was that it was pink/red longer. Didn't see it really late in the summer, though.
Shin deshojo has been my favorite of the group but Oki kasame is quickly gaining ground for me. My Corallinum doesn't hold as well as Shin deshojo; nor does Chishio improved. I'll be evaluating several of them more closely this year now that all of them will have the same growing conditions all summer.
I have no experience of 'Oki kasame', it may not even be in Europe yet, but it looks great from the pictures. It seems slightly darker than most of the group when the leaves are expanded, is this a fair interpretation? I love all of the Corallinum group, and 'Shin deshojo' is probably the one that has the best colour and holds it longest for me. Many of the other forms I see have slightly more pink or rose in the colour than 'Shindeshojo'. I find 'Beni komachi' performs similarly to 'Shin deshojo' in terms of colour and has the added benefit of the unusual leaf shapes (I know it is possibly a sport of this tree). Mattlw, which ones are you evaluating in your trial? Would love to hear some feedback later in the year.
I am not sure oki kasame is darker, it actually looks very much like shin deshojo in color but with a bit more yellow pigment to make it slightly more orange red. I'll see if I can't get some same day pics of the whole lot so we can all have a comparison discussion. This year I will be watching Shin deshojo, Beni komachi, Corallinum, Oki kasame, Akaji nishiki, Bonfire (I think it is the real one and not Segai), Chishio Improved (I'll stick with the old name for now), Beni hime, Beni tsukasa (this one could be a reverted form or mislabeled so it will require closer consideration), and a number of seedlings in the group that probably don't compare in color but have unusual leaf shapes. All of these are in my collection of containers and growing under very similar conditions. I had access to Beni maiko, but I didn't get it grafted in time so I'll have to wait for it. I will also be comparing a couple of seeded selections outside of my collection that may hold their color better than any in the group. They are starting to bud, so I might have something to look at in 2 or 3 weeks.
Shin deshojo is one of my favorite JMs. The spring color is intense, and then it changes to something else in summer. Nice natural form. Excellent fall color.
Does anyone grow the original 'Chishio'? Vertrees describes it as having a tinge of orange in the colour when compared to 'Shin deshojo'. I bought a nice Corallinum group plant a few years ago that was labelled 'Chishio', but the colour looks slightly more towards pink, when the leaves are expanded, than my 'Shin deshojo' and I suspect it is really 'Chishio Improved / Shin Chishio' or even 'Deshojo'. It grows slowly and the branches are quite twiggy and thin though, which fits in more with the descriptions of 'Chishio'. The only time I see any orange in the colour is in the buds and very newly opened leaves: Last year I visited Westonbirt at the end of April and many of the Corallinum group trees were looking at their peak. I think I took photos of 'Deshojo', 'Corallinum', 'Chishio Improved' and 'Beni Tsukasa'. They don't have 'Shin deshojo' or 'Chishio' there. Here is a picture of a largish Deshojo that has grown into a nice shaped tree:
Maf, I am not growing the 'original' Chisio (or Shishio?), I have the 'improved' (or Shin?) version ;-)). Honestly, I have a bunch of corallinum type cultivars and for some it is hard to tell the difference: Beni fushigi, Beni maiko, Bonfire, Chisio improved, Corallinum, Kurenai, Nishiki no murasaki, Otome zakura, Phoenix, Seigen, Shin deshojo, and Yama hime. On the other hand I would not place Beni tsukasa in the group (neither Wilson Pink Dwarf), it is more pink than coral red. Gomero
I wonder if sometimes nurseries just guess the name of some of their Corallinum group cultivars before selling them; many of them are very similar with very little difference between them, as you say, Gomero. Which of those listed do you find holds the colour longest? I alao wonder if many of the examples of 'Corallinum' itself offered for sale are the true cultivar? I have a "Hillier's Manual of Trees and Shrubs" from 1971 (purchased from a second hand bookshop) and I quote their description: Hilliers introduced the cultivar. Most of the plants I have seen of this type have larger leaves than this and a colour I would describe as darker than shrimp-pink, including the ones I saw at Westonbirt, which were still young plants. I agree with the assessment of 'Beni tsukasa' as not belonging to this group, I mentioned it because mattlwfowler is including it in his evaluation. For me it sits somewhere between the Katsura group and the Corallinum group, and the distinct variegation once the leaves turn green sets it further apart. It is arguably better than either of the groups, in terms of spring colour and all year round interest.
These two trees are not exactly the same age and they're not growing right next to each other. But they are close in age (I think the Shin deshojo is about one or two years older) and they are growing in similar conditions (same property, both getting about the same morning light). Photos taken within minutes of each other, same settings, no color tweaking. I did crop the photos. My recollection from last year is that the differences in color became more pronounced with time. And, in case you couldn't tell, first one is SD and second is OK.
Update - My 'Oki kasame' is leafing out well. Here's a picture from today (completely un-retouched). Still very intense red..
I have to say the spring color of an Ap 'Shin deshojo' is one of my favorite. Here are some photos from last spring of mine.
This one came as 'Chishio' from Duncan and Davies about 20 years ago. It's only about H2m. x W2m. {H6' x W6'}, twiggy and has thin branches. Will try to get some better photos this year.
Thanks chimera. Mine doesn't show the strong yellow/orange spot in the base of the leaf and in the mid-vein; I don't think there is any chance my plant is original 'Chishio'.
Either I missed the bright red on my Oki kasame, it didn't happen, or it's still going to happen. But this spring my Shin deshojo and Oki kasame don't look that dissimilar to each other. I'll try to get photos that show it. But in the meantime, I'll try and describe it. Both trees are bright and welcome additions to the landscape. But neither is a fire engine red this year. Both have strong pink/blue undertones. I would say that Oki kasame is a touch brighter. But this spring is nothing like last year. Edit: added photos of Shin deshojo (#1, 4) and Oki kasame (#2,3) taken earlier this spring.
