Well, I'm in doubt. The tree is about ten years old and the height 1.8-1.9 m. These are pictures taken this week. What do you think, is it a Shishigashira or a Koto hime? Thanks Gomero
Of the two, my vote would definitely be Koto hime. My Shishigashira does not look like this in the spring, neither color nor relative size or structure of the leaf. The leaves, even when first coming out will show the toothed margins and some texture. It is hard to tell in a photo like this, but they also seem smaller than on this tree. The curling and crinkling takes place fairly quickly, as well. It is too early here to take photographs, but perhaps someone in a solid zone 7 or 8 could post a Shishigashira photo. It is beautiful, and if Koto hime, that's great. I just ordered one last week.
Look at the pics at the Esveld site and you will have your answer for this one. I was going to suggest you look at the pics I showed of this Maple but your form and mine in the Maple Photo Gallery are two different forms. I will say this though, the European form of this Maple does slightly differ from the Japanese forms in the color and size of the leaves and to some extent the shapes of the leaves but the growth habits, how the leaves are arranged on the plants are indeed pretty much the same. Yours is the European form. Mine is a selected Japanese form, one of 3 Japanese forms that I know of for this Maple. Jim
Thanks Jacquot and Jim The veredict seems so far to favor Koto hime. This is also what I'd thought. What threw me off is the height, Van Gelderen talks of 1m after 10 years and I am almost double. And Dutch growing conditions are much better, for maples, than mines in Southwest France. I bought last year another Koto hime (2 years old, grafted at Esveld's) which has the same leaves as my adult tree. Kind regards to all Gomero P.S.: Sorry Elmore if I placed too many pics at once. It is true that one forgets that there are forum viewers still with dial-up. I hope that satellite broadband access will become more affordable pretty soon (and we are working hard at that, it is my profession ;o))
your profession?...what...are you an astronaut or a rocket scientist? lol Go ahead and send me that 1yr free trial offer on a high speed satellite internet connection, I can't wait any longer. I was reluctant to click on your images due to the size but I just did and they were not all that much trouble or they did not take as long as I thought. Definitely not 'Shishigashira'. Here are a few 'Shishigashira', all resized for those of us still waiting for the promise of high speed global internet access.
Hi Gomero: Some Maples can take heat better than others can. Kotohime can tolerate heat much better than many Maples. Ours is planted right into the afternoon sun in a Western exposure and has done very well there. Not too many people in Europe or Japan would try doing that here and to be honest it was silly of me to place that Maple where I did. The Kiyohime in front of our Kotohime has done marvelously well also with that same exact exposure. We cannot always conclusively equate the sizing of a plant grown in shade or filtered sun in a cooler climate and a plant grown in lots of sun in a warmer climate as being equal as far as what their sizing will end up being. Sizes listed in the books and in web sites are deceiving as some Maples will never get to the specified heights in certain locations. Some will indeed grow much taller than what we thought as well. Many of the heights listed are just approximations, some are just flat out guesses also. The whole purpose of the listing of mature sizes is to give us an idea as to how large the tree may get over time. We are really never quite certain specified heights will be seen in many locations. You now have your Maple pegged and I am real pleased you figured it out pretty much on your own. Good going! Best regards, Jim
Hi Jim, >>We cannot always conclusively equate the sizing of a plant grown in shade or filtered sun in a cooler climate and a plant grown in lots of sun in a warmer climate as being equal as far as what their sizing will end up being.<< This is so true. As you know my dad raises bonsai. We were talking about growth habit and environment once and he told me how the bonsaists from Japan would come over to Hawaii to see his collection. When they saw his Kuromatsu (Japanese Black Pine) they remarked that it must be at least 15 to 20 years old. He told them that it was only 7 years old! They were flabbergasted they could not believe it. Hawaii's growing season is all year long as most parts of the islands never get below 60 degrees at *night* in the winter. I'll bet though there are parts in the mountains like Haleakala on Maui or Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island where one could grow Japanese maples in the fertile volcanic soil and see a very nice fall show... Layne
