Buchholz Plant Introductions (Part 19)

Buchholz plant introductions include a fair number of Acer shirasawanum cultivars that are likely not the pure species, rather probable hybrids with Acer palmatum. All arose from A. shirasawanum mother trees and their seed rises above the foliage per the species, but still most “look” to be a mixture. The seedling offspring can vary greatly from dwarf green and orange laceleafs such as 'Green Snowflake' and 'Kawaii' to robust uprights such as 'Sensu' and 'Johin' which were discussed in Buchholz Plant Introductions (Part10).

Acer shirasawanum

Acer shirasawanum

Acer shirasawanum

Homi Shirasawa

The Japanese species A. shirasawanum honors the botanist Homi Shirasawa (1868-1947) who worked alongside Tomitaro Makino, the “Father of Japanese Botany.” Commonly known as the “Full-Moon maple” it occurs from central and southern Honshu to the southeast island of Shikoku, then further south to Kyushu. It is classified in the Section Palmata, and is compatible if grafted onto the rootstock of other species such as A. palmatum, A. japonicum, A. sieboldianum, the American species A. circinatum and others, so it is not surprising that it readily hybridizes with A. palmatum, or at least it does so in my open-garden setting. Most nurserymen consider A. shirasawanum to be a full zone more winter hardy than its A. palmatum cousin, even when the latter is used as rootstock, and the species is most noteworthy for its brilliant autumn colors of yellow, red and purple. The downside is that it is more awkward in its growth habit than A. palmatum, where well-balanced canopies are attainable (at Buchholz Nursery) with heavy pruning. Eventually we achieve stout bushes which later form dense, short trees, but that takes a year or two longer than with Acer palmatum. My hybrids – or supposed hybrids – are my favorite among almost all of the other maple cultivars, and it will be fun to observe what might germinate from the thousands of seeds which we collected this past fall.

Acer shirasawanum 'Bronze Age'

Acer shirasawanum 'Bronze Age'

Acer shirasawanum 'Bronze Age' was germinated in about 2002, then named, propagated and sold a decade later. The leaf shape reminds me of Acer palmatum 'Trompenburg' with a down-turned leaf lobe, but the color is more brownish-red. Last spring my wife Haruko declared it to be her favorite maple cultivar, and she could spot it in the propagation house with a couple hundred other varieties without looking at the label. I favor it as well, especially since it is relatively fast-growing with a balanced, full canopy. The original seedling is no longer at the nursery, and sadly I don't have a record of who we sold it to. I didn't keep track of it – and many others – because I didn't anticipate the day that I would reminisce about our introductions. I do have a record of all of our 'Bronze Age' sales, but nothing tells me which was the original tree.

Acer shirasawanum 'Plum Wine'

Acer shirasawanum 'Plum Wine'

Acer shirasawanum 'Plum Wine'

Acer shirasawanums 'Plum Wine' and 'Purple Velvet' were selected at the same time (2004) from the mother tree of Acer shirasawanum 'Shira Red', where the mama herself is a possible hybrid with Acer palmatum. There was no need to “introduce” both because, without their labels, they are indistinguishable. My plan was to eventually determine which was “better” and discontinue the inferior, but they're never next to each other because I know we would mix them up. Yes, I can see the future.

Acer shirasawanum 'Purple Velvet'

Acer shirasawanum 'Purple Velvet'

In any case, both A.s. 'Plum Wine' and 'Purple Velvet' appear to be more fully of the A. shirasawanum species, even moreso than their parent, and I'd give anything to know who was the pollinating tree. My youngest daughter looks more Asian, more like her mother than me while her sister doesn't look Asian at all. Thank God neither girl looks like the mailman. Appearances aside, I wonder if a hybrid germinant can be more of one parent than the other, or if by botanical definition it must be 50/50. Perhaps a bonafide botanist can set me straight on that question.

Acer shirasawanum 'Mr. Sun'

Acer shirasawanum 'Mr. Sun'

Acer shirasawanum 'Mr. Sun' was germinated sometime in the 1990s, then formally introduced in about 2004. Oddly the seedling itself arose from a group of purchased Acer palmatum rootstocks, so there was clearly some funny business going on at that nursery. I set it aside because it looked different, not that I found it particularly attractive, but eventually I grew to admire its appearance, especially the deep red fall color. The leaves of the spring photo above gave rise to the cultivar's name, for they resemble a child's drawing of Mr. Sun himself. The original tree was sold years ago, another of my many regrets, and unfortunately I can't remember who bought it. The reader might wonder about my history of selling out my introductions; the explanation is money, duh.

Acer shirasawanum 'Royalty'

Acer shirasawanum 'Royalty'

Acer shirasawanum 'Royalty'

The seedling that became 'Royalty' is of unknown parentage, and even though its leaves look totally palmatum, I decided to classify it as an Acer shirasawanum because the seed consistently rises above the foliage. How do I know though, maybe a 100% A. palmatum – a species with great variability – might occasionally produce a tree with unusual seed placement? After all, my favorite mother tree is Acer palmatum 'Amber Ghost' and its offspring are sometimes red and green dwarf laceleafs. Maybe that's more weird than seed above the leaves. The 'Royalty' name was chosen because the foliage is deep red-purple and reminded me of a king's robe. I concede that it will never outsell the very popular A.p. 'Bloodgood', but on the other hand I've never been unable to sell my crops. I wonder what my company's limit would be.

Haruko at Kokyo Gate

The Mikado

Speaking of “royalty”, the word mikado is Japanese for mi (“honorable”) and kado (“gate”), the gate of the imperial palace where the emperor traditionally held audiences. That etymology is derived from certain written characters, while another set of characters denotes the word “emperor.” And thanks to Mrs. Buchholz for that clarification. Of course the English know of The Mikado as the comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan which opened on March 14, 1885 at the Savoy Theatre, an instant hit that ran for 672 performances.

Acer shirasawanum 'Mikado'

Acer shirasawanum 'Mikado'

I wasn't honoring an opera, of course, when I named Acer shirasawanum 'Mikado' in about 2010, and at that time my wife said the “good” name meant “prince.” I would not have chosen the 'Mikado' name, for she now says it means “emperor,” because we previously have the cultivar 'Emperor' ('Emperor One', syn. 'Red Emperor'). Haruko shrugs and offers that prince and emperor are the same, to which I countered that Prince Charles and King Charles are not the same. My wife is an agreeable, easy woman to get along with, but this time she waved me off and had no interest to kowtow to my point of view, especially when it comes to Japanese word meanings. The Japanese have a saying that “the husband is the boss of the house.....if the wife allows.” Anyway, A.s. 'Mikado' is very different from the 'Emperor' maple, in that the former's foliage is a cherry plum-red. Maybe I'm just bored with the 'Bloodgood', 'Red Emperor'-types because I have produced over a quarter million of them in my career, while I certainly understand why they're so commercially popular.

Acer shirasawanum 'Haru iro'

Acer shirasawanum 'Haru iro'

Acer shirasawanum 'Haru iro'

Acer shirasawanum 'Haru iro' might not be a hybrid with Acer palmatum. I remember nothing about its origin; absolutely nothing, like it spontaneously generated itself at my nursery when I wasn't there. I do remember asking my wife to name it (about 2010 when it was 8-10 years old) because she admired the foliage. Haru means “spring” in Japanese, and iro means “color,” and we were both impressed with the tree one May evening. That naming occurred B.C. (Before Children) when we leisurely strolled the nursery grounds, when all of our attention was focused on each other and on our wonderful plants. In hindsight, those blissful days pale in comparison with the joy we experience with our two daughters...albeit with considerably less drama.

Acer shirasawanum 'Little Fella'

Acer shirasawanum 'Little Fella'

Acer shirasawanum 'Little Fella' is a slow-growing tree with a broad canopy. Even when grafted on vigorous green rootstock it is still a wimp that does not produce good scionwood, therefore it remains rare in the trade. The 'Little Fella' is cute though, and doesn't take much space in the garden. I think it is best grown in a container, and in Oregon at least it is happiest if given afternoon shade; but with too much shade the foliage becomes greenish. Naturally the avid maple collector will seek out 'Little Fella' anyway, and if a grower is successful with it I'd like to know the secret. It was named and first propagated in about 2010, but I don't recall what was the mother tree.

Acer palmatum 'Zig Zag'

Acer palmatum 'Zig Zag'

Acer palmatum 'Zig Zag'

I'll mention five more introductions – that are all clearly of the Acer palmatum species – and that will conclude our Acer contributions to horticulture...for now. Acer palmatum 'Zig Zag' is a low, dense green laceleaf with unknown parentage. It must have been from an upright bush or tree as I never sow seed from laceleafs. It was introduced in about 2010 and a small number were sold, but it is no longer in our propagation plans because I think there are superior clones such as A.p. 'Spring Delight'.

Acer palmatum 'Right Fred'

Acer palmatum 'Right Fred'

Acer palmatum 'Right Fred' originated as a seedling from one of the “Ghosts,” probably 'Amber Ghost' but I'm not certain. It features purple-red leaves with prominent black veins and it looks great in spring, however by July and a few 95-105 F days it fades to a blah-red, and doesn't then compare favorably with our other “Ghost-like” introductions. First sold in about 2014.

Acer palmatum 'Jet Black'

Acer palmatum 'Jet Black'

Acer palmatum 'Jet Black' faces the same challenges as A.p. 'Right Fred' in the summer heat. Its glossy black leaves are brilliant in early spring however. The term “jet black” usually refers to a person's hair, often a black woman with straight black hair that shines in the light. Unfortunately the maple introduction will not be so black if grown in the shade, and if placed in full sun the color will grow dull by July. We don't grow many.

Acer palmatum 'Red Whisper'

Acer palmatum 'Red Whisper'

Acer palmatum 'Red Whisper' germinated from seed off of our largest A.p. 'Fairy Hair' in about 2014, and I had high hopes for it because of thin reddish lobes and bud sheaths. It's no secret that I was seeking a red version of 'Fairy Hair', and so far 'Red Whisper' was as close as I got. Sadly it was a feeble attempt when the original seedling perished in our 116 F scorcher of mid-June, 2021, so it can be summed up as a wishful “introduction” that never actually got introduced.

Acer palmatum 'Climate Change'

Finally there's Acer palmatum 'Climate Change', a seedling from our 'Rising Stars' category of maples that originate from a mixture of named cultivars. If the mother tree is attractive, I reason, then it's a good chance her offspring will at least be interesting. 'Climate Change' was never beautiful in my opinion, rather it's a spreading bush with green leaves that are slightly contorted. Frankly it looks like something unfortunate happened to it, and since “climate change” is the new buzz-blame for everything that goes wrong, I tagged the unusual selection as such (in about 2015).

Acer palmatum

Acer palmatum

Acer palmatum

Acer palmatum

I have discussed 117 Acer cultivars in the Buchholz Plant Introduction blogs (Parts 1-19). I would categorize them into three (about equal) groups: 1) great and wonderful, 2) fair-to-good and 3) I probably got carried away and shouldn't have bothered. I don't apologize for the third group, or anything else, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I've known certain plantsmen who absolutely gush over some of my plants that I dismiss as so-so at best. I've repeated repeated many times to “Let the Market Decide.”