The colouring looks as though you still have a Phoenix @Fjordland Often the rootstock is of Acer palmatum, but maybe yours was a seedling and not grafted. Either way, those colours are wonderful.
God dag, Or even more likely from a cutting : I bought mine in a garden center, and it's one of the cultivars that are available from cuttings, like 'Orange Dream', 'Little Princess' and a few others that are strong enough to live on their own roots.
Bonjour Managed to find some old photos showing that it was grafted. All of the grafted material has died. Guessing the nursery grew their rootstocks from random Acer Palmatum seeds. It does seem very healthy and not affected by whatever killed the phoenix. Looking forward to spring to see what will happen. Will post some pictures then.
Not meaning to rain on your parade, though here in Portland at the moment that seems appropriate, I often see this sort of growth pattern from standard species that have been reduced. If that's the case the leaves will settle into more standard palmatum format, as it puts on some size. It may still make a very attractive tree. The plane species sometimes has the most long-lasting fall colors.
No worries Emery! Very interesting observations. Thank you. Learning new things is a big part of the obsession.
