Can someone ID this maple? http://www.o-matic.com/maple/maple.html it's about 3' high right now.. it was labeled "miyasama kaede yatsubusa" but it is not a trident as you can see. It has 5 spikes to each leaf. The leaves, when mature, are darker green than in the photos. they have slightly serrated edges, and a bit of dark red along the edges as well. The new leaves are bright red, with a light green in the centers.The young branches are very glossy dark red. The trunk is smooth, and greenish grey. I bought it from a nursery last week and promptly planted it (maple newbie) I'd appreciate your expert input... Thanks!
Did you ignore my reply in the Garden web and decide to post the same thing over here? Why don't you register for this forum and give some reply to what I suggested in the other forum? Maybe you feel my direction for the name of your tree is incorrect? MJH
looked up your kind suggestion, MJH (sorry not to respond sooner; I made posts on a couple of sites to get info). The photos I found for kiyohime seem to have light green leaves, where my specimen's leaves are darke green, and not 'dipped' in red, but rather lined with a reddish edge. to I realize I need to give more info to my description beyond the photos: The leaves, when mature, are darker green than in the photos. The largest leaves are 1 3/4" from base of leaf to tip, have slightly serrated edges, and a bit of dark red along the edges as well. The new leaves are bright red, with a light green emanating from the centers.The young branches are very glossy dark red. The trunk is smooth, and greenish grey. I guess I will find out more when i see the autumn habits?
Now we are moving forward. Look at the possibility that your tree might be Murasaki kiyohime and don't get too caught up in the leaf color as it changes from lighter green to darker green in summer. You will also see more red in the spring leaves than you will on summer growth. Shade will also darken the leaves. Look at the shape of the leaves on your tree and compare them to the photos on the Esveld site: http://www.esveld.nl/htmldia/a/ex/acpmki.htm See if we are closer. It will take some seasons to ID. Keep us posted. Michael
thank you; it looks awfully close. since i have a high graft, do you think i can train it to bend a bit or separate some of the branches that are tending to clump by weighting them gently with rock and twine?
One other issue is size, though. most sites state that this tree only grows to 2' mine is a high graft - is that why it seems tall? it's an afro on a stalk? all the more reason why i ask if I can mess with the branches some, shape the tree a bit - M
Rare to find a dwarf type tree as an on a tall standard. These varieties are commonly used in bonsai and you can tie, weight, etc to shape them. It will not weep naturally, but spread. The branches and twigs usually are of very small calliper and brittle so be careful. Keep studying your tree and comparing it to photos of similar varieties so that you can narrow down the ID. If you train it or wire etc., please share some photos. Even though the tree is a dwarf, it does put out vigorous chutes and responds well to pruning during the growing season. MJH
my guess is Acer campbellii 'Exuberance', sorry i could not find any picture with a google search. Good luck
