Recently I acquired this maple but the owner had lost his tag so we called it 'mystery maple', please help me to id it. Its leaf looks like the Acer Japonicum or Acer Shirawanum leaves but much smaller (no more than 1&1/2 inches) across. Any idea is appreciated. steven
Might be Acer sieboldianum 'Sode-no-uchi'. Although Japanese sources consider it to be a cultivar of Acer tenuifolium, see Yano's "Book for Maples", or Talon Buchholz's blog, scroll to the bottom of the page.
I really don't know, but good luck! You might try posting a picture on the facebook group "Japanese Maples and Conifers" or "Japanese maples," just to expand the group of people you're asking. Perhaps someone has a similar tree.
Might also be A shirasawanum 'Keikan zan', though I'm not sure if that one is in the US yet. 'Keikan zan' is also considered a cultivar of A. tenuifolium by Professor Yano.
Thanks to all. I have AS Sodo No Uchi but this mystery leaf is much smaller (1/3) than that. And by looking at Keikan Zan, the leaves also look quite larger than this one. These mystery leaves are considered tiny for AS and AJ. I looked through the Conifer kingdom website where they have a page listed majority of Acer Palmatum leaf but I can't find any of them matched; I then went on to the other two pages for AS and AJ, there is some look similar but still much larger in side. Thanks again for all the input, steven
Hi Steven, Look at post #113 in thread http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=82171&highlight=keikan+san&page=4. "spring 2014 pics" My finger is 1/2 inch wide, so the leaf size actually seems pretty much right on I'd guess. Indeed the interest of 'Keikan san' is the tiny leaves... I'm not convinced that's what you have, but I'd not rule it out based on size.
Hi Emery, Thank you for pointing out to me the site and yes this Keikan looks very similar to the tree I have. I was googled the name on the web and saw a pic of a large leaf that is why I thought it was not the one until I went to the site that you pointed out with the finger size. I will at least settle for its ID now until I find out more info. Thank you so much, steven
'Sode-no-uchi' leaves are noticeably smaller than the ones in the pic Emery shows, and the shape is more similar to your mystery maple in my opinion. If you consult what Vertrees wrote in the second edition of Japanese Maples it states: "The leaf size varies from 2½ to 4cm long and 3 to 5 cm across. On the old wood of the plant, the leaves will be half this size" If your other plant that is labelled as 'Sode-no-uchi has leaves three times the size of the one pictured in this thread it is unlikely to be the true form.
Hi Maf, you are correct. I took a look at my Sodo No Uchi again yesterday and their leaves are not 2/3 time larger than the mystery maple but just a little bit larger. Thus I can narrow the id down between Sodo No Uchi and Keikan Zan. I will continue to research for more fidelity. Thank you for your input, steven
Good luck with your research and I hope you find a satisfactory answer; I didn't want you to rule out 'Sode-no-uchi' at the first hurdle. I need to get a look at the bark colour on my young 'Sode-no-uchi' because my memory says it is very similar to the bark colour of the twigs in your picture, and quite different to most other JM's. I will try to get back to you on this tomorrow.
