I ordered a maple cultivar from one of my suppliers and got something (shown in the pics) that has nothing to do with the plant I ordered. The supplier has since recognized the error and have delivered the maple I ordered but did not ask the mislabeled plant back ;o)) So if I keep it (it was grafted) I want to know what it is. I do not have many European maples but the pictures (taken end of April 2008) show something close to A. opalus . What throws me off is that A. opalus, according to the description in the books, has reddish leaves in early Spring and my plant does not show that. It is not evergreen and Fall colors are not remarkable. Another possibility is Acer x rotundilobum ( a hybrid of A. monspessulanum and A. opalus ssp. obtusatum) for which the description does not mention the reddish leaves. Any other suggestions? Gomero
It looks like it could also possibly be Acer x hybridum, judging by some similar pictures in the Illustrated Guide to Maples. It's reputedly a cross between A. opalus and A. pseudoplatanus. Some identifying characteristics of that maple are petioles w/o milky sap and down only along the main veins. Hillier Gardens in England has a specimen that's 13.9 m (45 ft) tall. Whatever your tree turns out to be, I do enjoy the roundness of the leaves. Good luck with the positive ID!
Prairiestyle, Thanks for the hint. I agree that looking at the pictures in Beaulieu's book, Acer x hybridum really resembles my mystery maple. As soon as it will leaf out I will check the sap (milky?) and the underside to conclude. Gomero
