On the trail of the Vine Maple

[RKatzin]

While most of you good folks are busy at your day job I'm out here tromping around the woods with my dogs and my trusty pruners and a three prong cultivator, always and forever keeping an eye for any collectibles. You never know when or where you might come upon something unusual. Often in the most unusual loci and often right under your nose. In a spot by the edge of a spur road, a place I've passed by a least a few hundred times, suddenly I spotted this nice little Vine Maple. The sun was just right and lit up the leaves and it just popped out at me.
I cleared away the brush and debris and dug away the loose soil. It's growing in a cat berm, must have gotten pushed back when they were blading out the road.
It has more twists and turns than you can see in the pics and a real nice shari running the length of the trunk. There are about fifteen or so small trunks coming from the main in clusters. I'm thinking raft over rocks, but I'll have to get it out of the ground to really get a good look at it.

 

[petegreg]

Hm, this looks good for a raft style. I've got one A. circinatum in ground and still can't figure out its growth pattern. Fortunately in my case it's only grow & chop.

 

[0soyoung]

I've got one A. circinatum in ground and still can't figure out its growth pattern.

I think it quite like acer palmatum.

But maybe I'm talking oranges and you, apples (?).

 

[Bavarian Raven]

Nice find. Hope it comes out with good roots. They can be tricky to transplant.

 

[petegreg]

I think it quite like acer palmatum.

But maybe I'm talking oranges and you, apples (?).

Maybe yes, it is a less vigorous grower, seems to grow only upward. Will try to remember to take a picture when I am at the place.

 

[RKatzin]

I think it quite like acer palmatum.

But maybe I'm talking oranges and you, apples (?).

They are related, both in the series Palmata and the Vine Maple is the only member of that series that occurs outside of Asia and only here in the GPNW. So, Na Na, na, na na.

 

[ghues]

Love these ones, leaves do reduce in pot culture but not much.......looks like full moon maple. G

 

[RKatzin]

The moon is waning, the day is cloudy and cool. To me that is a good day for a dig so I loaded up the gear and set about collecting that tree. I also consider the environment in which this tree is growing. The nice thing about a cat berm like this is that the soil has been rolled over and is usually not compact.
I took a lot of pics of the excavation, boring, but I basically dug all the way around the base at about the spread of the foliage. I dug about 8" below the base and lifted one side and slid a tarp under and then slid the tree onto the tarp. Easy as pie and only about three hours, I'm a slow digger. It's a bit more straightforward when you can see the base, but you have to go slow when you are looking for a buried tree.
I dug around the front first and didn't find any roots. I knew the tree had been folded back on itself and all the roots were on the back side deeper into the berm.
With all the clearing and digging I came across another nice piece growing in the same berm. I'll have to get it another time, one a day is enough for me.

 

[RKatzin]

I was a bit surprised when I got back to the shack with it and was able to get a good look at the fruits of my labor. Have a look at it and tell me what you think of it

 

[ghues]

Interesting movement and lots of branches to choose from. I hope it survives for you, as it's an unusual time for collection. At our last club meeting we talked about our native Vine and Douglas maples and how the leaves don't reduce much in Bonsai cultivation.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I was a bit surprised when I got back to the shack with it and was able to get a good look at the fruits of my labor. Have a look at it and tell me what you think of it
View attachment 149301 View attachment 149326 View attachment 149328

A lot of possibilities. Nice one.

I could see an informal upright starting with the first image, or tilt it to a cascade. Raft is still an option. It would be fun to have this on my bench to figure out. Nice work.

I have done a fair amount of summer collecting, it is not a bad time for many of the deciduous species. Of course my summer is much cooler and shorter than those more than 500 miles south of me. Most years we have weekly rain all summer long, so summer collecting is possible. Not too dry and not too hot. Others, your local results may vary.

Very nice tree

 

[RKatzin]

Thanks for the thoughts, I agree it is a nice one. My thoughts on the reduction of the leaf is to work within the parameters of the tree. The Vine require a somewhat larger stature to accommodate the leaves. Otherwise you are at constant odds.
This does have a good size and some nice texture for a smooth bark tree. I can see it as a raft, but I think it would be a shame to bury that trunk. I have not seen the root nebari yet and that will have some bearing on the direction to go.
I have collected a lot in late spring and early summer, stopping mid-July through August, and then picking up again in the fall. An advantage of dwelling at 3000+ elevation. We're generally ten degrees cooler than the valley. Much greater hazard when collecting up here and taking trees to the valley.

 

[RKatzin]

I soaked the clay and kept it wrapped to soften it some. Friday I worked most of the day on it, getting the clay out and cutting enough roots to fit into an Anderson flat. I gave it 50% organic with pumice. I set it a bit deeper than I would like, but I wanted to get the roots at the first cluster of branches back in action.
These pics are this afternoon, the first day I didn't water it, it's still under the deck where it gets a nice splash of morning sunshine and then filtered light the rest of the day.
The leaves did show a small amount of crepe, but they plumped up again once it settled into the pumice mix.

 

[zachkent29]

Love vine maple!

 

[RKatzin]

This one's about two inches, what size you want? Btw, there's a billion or so seeds hanging on the trees right now, I could send a bunch if you (or anyone) want to try to grow some. They sprout good and grow pretty fast in a good soil.

 

[ghues]

This one's about two inches, what size you want? Btw, there's a billion or so seeds hanging on the trees right now, I could send a bunch if you (or anyone) want to try to grow some. They sprout good and grow pretty fast in a good soil.

This isn't the time to collect the seeds, should collect much later so that the embryo is mature.
I hope this one survives for you.
G.

 

[RKatzin]

This isn't the time to collect the seeds, should collect much later so that the embryo is mature.
I hope this one survives for you.
G.

No, but it is a good time to spot trees loaded with seeds. I don't collect them till they are ripe. I have so many trees and seedlings/ saplings that I've never sprouted seeds but I'll gladly collect for anyone who wants to have a go at it.
This tree is doing fine. I'll keep it in the shape until the fall weather breaks and give it lots of TLC.

 

[ghues]

Have you collected any hairy manzanita in your area?

 

[BPfeil]

I soaked the clay and kept it wrapped to soften it some. Friday I worked most of the day on it, getting the clay out and cutting enough roots to fit into an Anderson flat. I gave it 50% organic with pumice. I set it a bit deeper than I would like, but I wanted to get the roots at the first cluster of branches back in action.
These pics are this afternoon, the first day I didn't water it, it's still under the deck where it gets a nice splash of morning sunshine and then filtered light the rest of the day.
The leaves did show a small amount of crepe, but they plumped up again once it settled into the pumice mix.View attachment 149782 View attachment 149783

Nice! I'm up in Corvallis and those things are everywhere here. Haven't tried to make a bonsai of one yet. Do you know if they lend themselves well to it?

 

[Shima]

Nice! I'm up in Corvallis and those things are everywhere here. Haven't tried to make a bonsai of one yet. Do you know if they lend themselves well to it?

They are very difficult as bonsai. How many do we see? I've lived with manzanita much of my life but never knew them as "hairy." I would make a serious effort to ground layer them.