I have a couple of maples that are grown from seeds and that didn't retain the characters of the parent plants. Since I keep of list of my trees, I usually name them Acer palmatum x, but is there a way to give them a name more conform to taxinomy? I have the same problem with two of my many seedlings of Zelkova crenata that probably had a virus and developped very slender leaves, but they survived, and since they're very esay to make cuttings from, I wanted to keep them as rootstock for bonsai.
I don't know the real answer, although I suspect it is just A. palmatum with the appropriate subspecies depending on leaf shape. I label such plants, when I know the parent, as "nee cultivar", e.g. A. palmatum nee Villa Taranto. I also keep information about when repotted, mycorrhizae or no, date pruned, as well as interesting characteristics, on the label. That way if I give it away during winter I can tell the person what they can expect.
If they are unique enough you could always give them a cultivar name. Even if it is only a working name while they are under observation.
