Monday, April 27, 2009

My World Tuesday



This is my poorly trimmed Japanese Maple in Spring.

Photobucket

I posted a photo of it back when it was covered with snow. Here it is below:

Photobucket

I prefer the first photo...

Acer palmatum, called Japanese Maple or Smooth Japanese Maple (Japanese: irohamomiji; 紅葉 or いろはもみじ ) is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea and China. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are commonly grown in other parts of the world too, for their attractive leaf shapes and colors.

Acer palmatum is a deciduous shrub or small tree reaching heights of 6–10 m, rarely 16 m, often growing as an understory plant in shady woodlands. It may have multiple trunks joining close to the ground. In habit, it is often shaped like an upside-down pyramid (especially when younger) or takes on a dome-like form, especially when mature. The leaves are 4–12 cm long and wide, palmately lobed with five, seven, or nine acutely pointed lobes. The flowers are produced in small cymes, the individual flowers with five red or purple sepals and five whitish petals. The fruit is a pair of winged samaras, each samara 2–3 cm long with a 6–8 mm seed. The seeds of Japanese maple and similar species require stratification in order to germinate.

Even in nature, Acer palmatum displays considerable genetic variation. As such, even seedlings with the same parent tree can show difference in such aspects as leaf size and shape, and colour.

Here's a close-up of the leaves:

Photobucket

Palmatum Matsumurae


Thanks to the My World Team:

Klaus | Sandy | Ivar | Wren | Fishing Guy | Louise


16 comments:

SandyCarlson said...

Gorgeous.These trees sure do spread.

Sylvia K said...

Truly beautiful! We have many to them here in Seattle and, in fact, we have a small one in our back yard. Love the color! Great shots and such a difference between spring and winter! Have a great week, Mary!

Barb said...

HI Mary,
I have a great memory of the beautiful Japanese Maple in front of my Mother's house. I just love those leaves.

Jane Hards Photography said...

This answers a question I had about what I thought was a maple tree this way. Beautiful and so interesting to see that changes.

Guy D said...

I love seasonal contrasts, great pics.

Have a great week.
Guy
Regina In Pictures

Mary Elizabeth said...

Beautiful.
Mary Elizabeth @ Now and Then

Unknown said...

Great photo point. To think that all it took is a moment to click twice ... plus some patience. It's a reminder that day in and day out, although it all seems the same, everything is in flux.

Lew said...

Much nicer with leaves and warm weather!

Niinuska said...

I love these trees! Thank you for sharing such nice photos! =)

Anonymous said...

I love Japanese maple. I've been looking for one with "just the right shape" for my yard.

Carver said...

Japanese Maples are one of my favorite trees. Wonderful photographs of yours in the different seasons.

Latane Barton said...

Such a welcome sight in spring. Both photos of the maple are very well done.

Erin said...

i like the color of these trees and the beautiful leaf shape...and yes i agree it is more beautiful in spring than winter :)
Have a great day.

Regina said...

Hi Mary these are beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous color, this tree is my mothers absolute favorite and now I see why!
mine is here
http://aguthrieimages.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/thats-my-world-ruby-tuesday/

Gaelyn said...

What a difference a season makes.

Labels