Hybrid or natural for a seedling.

[marc206]

I've picked up many seedlinga growing under my great uncles 50+foot Japanese maple. There are a couple seedlings that look different. Here is one of them. Is this normal or a natural hybrid. One leaflet looks different than the normal Greenleaf Japanese maple.

 

[marc206]

Does anyone have any input on this different leaves of this green Japanese maple?

 

[MichaelS]

Unlikely to be a hybrid but not impossible. It happens that some palmatums show this kind of foliage when young but they usually revert to normal foliage later. Sometimes you will get a new cultivar which holds on to different leaf shape.

 

[plant_dr]

I started some acer palmatum seeds this year that were collected from my neighbor's basic green Japanese maple. The leaves look like these too. My neighbor has a wide variety of Japanese maples in their yard so i figured they might be a cross with something else, but we'll see if they revert to palmatum leaves rather than dissectum leaves. I hope they do!

 

[rodeolthr]

It's my understanding that acer palmatum is divided into subspecies. This appears to be 'matsumurae'. What appears most interesting about yours is that it seems to only have 3 lobes on each leaf, much like a trifoliate type.

 

[marc206]

It's my understanding that acer palmatum is divided into subspecies. This appears to be 'matsumurae'. What appears most interesting about yours is that it seems to only have 3 lobes on each leaf, much like a trifoliate type.

Yes we'll put. I will take extra care of this one to see what it grows into. If it reverts back to the normal green leaf Japanese maple then I'll know it was just being immature. °pun°

 

[AlainK]

Mutations can occur spontaneously on Japanese maples. Most cultivars are chance seedlings, hybrids or mutants, are actually chance seedlings that are then grafted to keep the characteristics of a new plant.

The leaves of your seedlings look a bit like 'Momenshide' or 'Hagoromo'.

Here are some pics of my 'Beni Hagoromo':

 

[jmw_bonsai]

There are several Acer palmatum cultivars with leaves like this. So its more than likely Acer palmatum. The fun part of Acer palmatum seedlings is how diverse than can be, which helps to produce the many cultivars. For some other examples of this feathery look google Hagaromo, Koshimino, Beni Hagaromo, Yamato Hagaromo, Hanezu Hagaromo, Hazeroino. I would grow on an enjoy!!! I have a few of the cultivars with plans for cuttings and layers to make some "interesting" Bonsai. I would consider yours a Hagaromo type seedling!

 

[Anthony]

Grow it, and see.
Look up the history of "zuisho"
Good Day
Anthony

*That is how we found our cultivar of Chlorophora t.
Branches more like a zelkova.