I was on vacation in Los Angeles a few weeks ago and while I was there, I picked up what I assumed to be a rather average-looking maple seed. I stuck it in my pocket with the intent of growing it as an indoor tree when I got home. I looked it up in my tree field guide when I got home, and the seed looked nearly identical to pictures of a Norway Maple, which didn't surprise me since the guide also said it's widely planted in cities across the US because it has a high tolerance to pollution (and I did find it in LA after all). So I got home and planted it in a little pot. A few days later, not one but two sprouts emerged. My internet searches conclude that this is rare, but not completely unheard-of, in maples and related trees. My problem is this: they've grown a few more leaves since they sprouted, and these leaves look absolutely nothing like maple leaves. 1. Compound, currently with three leaflets 2. Round oval leaves, thicker towards the end, not pointed at the tip 3. Completely smooth outline, no serrations 4. It appears to be branching alternately. None of my internet searches or identification keys can find me a tree that has both a maple-like seed and non-pointed compound leaves. Can anyone shed any light on this situation, or should I just let it grow for a while and see what happens? PS: While I'm here, I might as well ask about a houseplant I had a few years ago that I never did manage to identify. The most striking thing about this plant was that the entire plant was a bright pink/red, practically magenta. Also, the leaves (about 2cm long and wide) were heart-shaped, with the point of the heart at the stem end, not the tip of the leaf. It never flowered. It was about two inches tall when I picked it up as an unlabeled "tropical houseplant" at a nursery, and was almost two feet tall when it died. I used to spend hours trying to find out what this plant was, but internet searches usually just gave me pictures of pink flowers.
It's still quite small, I'm not sure I could get clear photos at this point. I'll try tomorrow when the leaves are open again. They folded up when it got dark. I've been looking up ash seeds, and they all look very distinctly different from maple seeds. This was definitely a maple seed, with a thicker ridge along one side.
I find that one to be the closest match so far, but the boxelder's leaves are still a lot pointier than what I'm seeing. I do apologize for the current lack of photos.
Try Senna obtusifolia; it's got that leaf and seed profile and it's the only one I can think of where the leaves close at night.
i don't know about the tree seedling. the other plant with the heart-shaped leaves with the tip at the stem rather than at the end/outer part of the leaf sounds like hoya kerri - that doesn't come in a pink/red variety and the leaves are much larger than what you describe. any chance you've got a pic of it somewhere??
Yes, those leaves do look a lot more like the ones I have, though it looks like it has an even number of leaflets. All the leaves I have so far have three leaflets. I can't seem to find any pictures of the seeds, but the descriptions say it's more of a pod? Doesn't sound much like a maple seed. That is the sort of heart-shape I'm talking about, but those leaves really look nothing like the ones I had. Each leaf had a stem that was about as long as the leaf itself, and they were very separate from each other. The plant itself was very upright, with the leaves branching out to the sides. Sadly, it seems I never took any pictures of this plant. If anyone knows of any other plants with these kind of heart-shaped leaves, please let me know.
Tipuana tipu has a one-seeded pod that looks like a big maple half-fruit. I don't know whether it goes through a three-leaflet stage.
Here, I managed to get a picture. The leaves have been pretty much half-closed all day since it's been cloudy out. That Tipuana tipu looks like it! Thanks.
Possibly. The stem looked a lot like that, and the red varieties give me hope. Is there any species that has heart-shaped leaves?
