And now for something completely different...

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This is a satisfying tree to look at. I bet the foliage/glaze combo look great together in the growing season.
 

Adair M

Pinus Envy
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Not only are trident maples not my usual subject, Mino is an unusual maple cultivar. It doesn’t grow new shoots like most tridents do. It tend to make “sprays” of foliage from one bud. There will be 20 leaves at one bud,, but no stem. Because of this it gets knobby. Usually, knobby branches are a fault on tridents, but for this cultvar, it’s a characteristic.

It also produces flaky bark. Again, that’s unusual for a trident.

The challenge is to get this tree to make more twigs. When in leaf, it looks really full because of the multiple leaves at each bud.

I’ve brought this one home from Boon’s place because of the high summer heat there has been stressing the foliage. Hopefully my climate will encourage it to grow twigs.
 

Firstflush

Chumono
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How many trunk chops do you think were done? I ask cause you can’t see any....or is every kink a chop in history that is healed over.
 

Adair M

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How many trunk chops do you think were done? I ask cause you can’t see any....or is every kink a chop in history that is healed over.
This is an old, old tree. There are no tell tale scars on the trunk. Virtually scar-free, except for the evidence of one healed over scar where a branch used to be. But the bark is getting flaky there, too.

It IS a graft. There’s a difference down above the nebari where the Mino starts. Regular trident roots.

I seriously doubt this tree has ever been “chopped”. Cut back to control and direct growth? For sure. But a drastic chop? Extremely unlikely.
 

baron

Shohin
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The flaky bark is really nice! Just wondering, does it come of easily?
Do you keep the pieces if they do come off, to put them back with trickery (glue or pins,...) or does it regrow the bark?
 

Adair M

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The flaky bark is really nice! Just wondering, does it come of easily?
Do you keep the pieces if they do come off, to put them back with trickery (glue or pins,...) or does it regrow the bark?
Do you think I touch it? Why would I do that? If it falls off, it falls off, but I never, ever touch the trunk of any tree with delicate bark. Even when repotting. I hold it by the branches, or root ball. Only.

Edited to add, there is a curl of peeling bark on the lower left, about 3inches below the lowest left branch. If I were to touch it, it would fall off. I ain’t touchin’ it! It won’t be there forever, it will fall off. But not by my doing!
 

clem

Chumono
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I seriously doubt this tree has ever been “chopped”. Cut back to control and direct growth? For sure. But a drastic chop? Extremely unlikely.
we'll never know unless the producer tells us, but i think that the crown has been made by clip & grow (there's a narrowing of the trunk after that hypothetical cut) ->
 

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baron

Shohin
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Do you think I touch it? Why would I do that? If it falls off, it falls off, but I never, ever touch the trunk of any tree with delicate bark. Even when repotting. I hold it by the branches, or root ball. Only.

Edited to add, there is a curl of peeling bark on the lower left, about 3inches below the lowest left branch. If I were to touch it, it would fall off. I ain’t touchin’ it! It won’t be there forever, it will fall off. But not by my doing!

Well not on purpose no, but I can imagine acidents happen...
I saw the curl, hence why I asked. Was just wondering if you would keep the pieces of bark to put back later or if the bark would renew on its own
 

Adair M

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A nylon brush will deal with it quite well. You could consider a copper wire brush but be carefull you might damage the living bark.

interesting cultivar. Never heard of it before.
Since you’ve never heard of it, you don’t know that the flaky bark is one of the defining characteristics of this cultivar. And removing the old bark would absolutely ruin this tree!
 

Adair M

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we'll never know unless the producer tells us, but i think that the crown has been made by clip & grow (there's a narrowing of the trunk after that hypothetical cut) ->
Clem, I don’t know the exact age, but this thing grows extremely slowly. It was imported from Japan 25 to 30 years ago. Not by me. I’ve seen old pictures of it in various shows in California, and it already had that trunk 20 years ago.

Clip and grow? Yes. A big chop? No.

This has been container grown for years and years. I’m guessing it’s at least 75 years old.
 

johng

Omono
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Looks like a deciduous pine tree with bar branches:). I hope it didn't cost much??
 
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