This year is quite exceptional for maple flowers in my garden. My penny worth of an explanation is that the trees are very happy because it rained a lot during the winter ;o)). This may mean lots of seeds to give away next fall!!!. Here are some pics, the second is 'Osakazuki' and the third 'Burgundy Lace'. I will let you guess the first and last Gomero
Nice pics! More likely, because it rained a lot last summer (assuming it did!) - maple flower buds are initiated well before the winter, at the time the main shoot buds are forming.
Michael, it rained a lot in the UK last summer but not in Southwest France. We had below average rainfall except for the months November to January when we had 50% above normal. Gomero
Well OK then, the long warm dry summer initiated the flowers ;-) That's how it usually is here, where sun and warmth are in short supply - best flower production the spring after an unusually warm dry summer.
Hi PtB, would you say exceptional?, if so , and if others also confirm, then it is not the rain or the lack of it, must be some sort of cosmic wave that interacts only with the genus Acer and provides the extra energy needed for this exceptional crop of flowers worldwide ;o)))) LOL Gomero
Gomero, It seems exceptional so far. About half of my plants are leafed out and many are showing buds for the first time. The flowers add another element of interest and beauty to a already amazing season. I didn't know what I was missing. Could the cosmic wave be affected by the release of the "checklist"?
despite 2 consecutive dry years I notice my maples have a great flower and seed set this year as well. take a look at the concepts of masting (mast years) and the Moran effect which could well explain the wide geographic synchrony of this flowering as witnessed by Gomero in France, Gil in Philadelphia and me in California. I am especially interested if anyone sees flowers/seeds on their witches broom maples like Aratama, Shaina, Fjellheim, Coonara Pygmy etc because I have some large witches broom japanese maples but NEVER have seen a seed on any of them although I am told witches brooms can produce seeds. I would LOVE to try to germinate some broom seeds.
Well, it all depends on the value of the angle formed by the path of release of the 'checklist' and the direction of incidence for the wave. As the value approaches 90°, the interference may become destructive. Have not seen any Mike, I'll keep my eyes open for you. No guesses for the two mystery maples in flower above? Gomero
Tell us already Gomero. ~~~~~~~ Flowers on 'Aka omote', 'Kujaku nishiki' and AS 'Johin', first time for me with these plants.
Although it's early yet, the cosmic wave is apparently reaching Normandie also. Just noticing that Corstorphinense is full of flowers (and set viable seed last time it flowered), the buergerianums have tons of flowers, and looks like the palmatums and japonicums do too. Hoping to see some on pictum and longipes -E
Actually, there is scientific research which shows that plants flower more and produce more fruit/seeds after periods of stress or change. This is probably a response for self preservation - better get some progeny going in case you die out. Anyway, I saw this first hand after the Easter freeze of 2007, which killed ALL fruit, nut, seed production for ALL trees here. The following year saw a crop of acorns and seeds that was, well - I've never seen acorn or seed production that heavy in my entire life! It was ridiculous! The Ash seeds are starting to sprout now, and it literally looks like I'm trying to start a lawn the seedlings are so thick!
I fully agree K4, the record breaking heat wave and drought of 2003 in this part of the world brought a bumper crop of acorns in my oaks. This time, however, there has not been any stress over here: normal summer and fall 2008, rainy winter. In addition this exceptional crop of flowers in maples (other trees in the garden seem to produce a normal quantity of flowers) seem to be the same in others parts of the world as has been reported in this thread, quite an interesting thing. OK PtB but I am disappointed nobody tried the second mystery maple in flower which, ironically, is the easiest since there is only one cultivar which has each leaf in a different, random plane: 'Matsuyoi'; those red flowers against the tender chartreuse green leaves is one of the prettiest sights in the garden. The first one is 'Koto hime', cultivar for which the flowers, like the leaves, are tightly bound around the branches. Gomero
No flowers at all on some Acer palmatum I looked at here today. That's after two consecutive exceptionally wet summers. Maybe that means something?
Here are tiny small flowers of A.Palmatum C.Queen, from Istanbul. I am excited since it is my first experience.
Michael, the palmatums (including ssp palmatum) are full of flowers here, we've had very wet summers also. Although it has been a dry spring... I am seeing flowers on some I've never seen before, like platanoides "Maculatum" and davidii "Karmen." Nothing from pictum though. Congratulations Tugo! -E
Yes that seems about right. Always hard to tell scale from a photo of course. Nice new growth on your CQ. -E
noticed my pseudoplatanus 'Leopoldii' is loaded with flowers and for the 1st time ever my x conspicuum 'Silver Cardinal' is pregnant. Whole lot of naughtiness happening in my yard this year!
Mike, Trees will be trees. Does anyone know at what point flower production is triggered? Does it happen the previous growing season, or is it a response to autumn conditions etc.... Stress definitively triggers flower production in some species. In Styrax I've noticed it and there is a technique that involves giving certain magnolias a good throttling to get them to flower, seriously. I was wondering if a nasty winter may bring on more flowers or if the flower production is already a settled matter by the time Winter is underway.
Gil, I wish I had as good an answer as you had a good question about the etiology of flower production. I re read the flower production section of Maples of the World last night but nothing to help us. Only the last few years have I paid real attention to flower production on my maples and this year was struck at the seeming simultaneity of flower production and leaf production. I need to understand flower production better as well and when I do I will circle back here. Mike
Mike, Is good flower production usually followed by good samara production? I have noticed that some years there are plenty of flowers but none produce samaras that make it for long. Other years a modest flower production but a number will go full term.
I got all 24 of my maples last year and all of them are in the ground and they are flowering like crazy here in ohio. I"m shocked how covered they are in leaves already since its still early here.
