The Elusive Maple Flower

[Smoke]

In recent years it has been brought up about maple flowers. Many people thought maples did not have flowers and were very surprised to know about this. But, like all plants that grow from seed, if there is seed there is a flower.

Ahhh, but how do you see a maple flower? Well it is very quick. In fact it is so quick and elusive you may have them and not even know you did. On some species of Acer, the flowers precede the leaves, but on most the flowers come out with the first leaves. The flowers are very small and not much bigger than a BB. They come out with the first leaves and unfurl, for the most part, with those first leaves in the bud. The flower/leaf buds are larger since they contain both. Not much bigger but you can see it. The flowers only come off last years twig tips. If you prune too late you cut off the bloom wood and will only get leaves.

The bud opens and a miracle of nature unfolds. The bud pops and two leaves and about 5 flowers are compressed together so tight it is hard to imagine all of that is in that small bud. When it does open the two leaves start to unfurl and the whole thing has this small cascade of small red BB sized balls hanging. If one is really lucky and it holds, the BB's will open into a minute flower, white in color with petals no larger than a poppy seed. It is a sight to behold and some species of Acer can really pack a show. The flower buds can be green, red, orange and purple.

Not every terminal bud will flower but most of them will. The flowers begin at about age 7 to 8 years, and will continue every year till death. I have seen many flowers before and this year I pruned my coral bark and didn't get any flowers. They are crimson almost neon.

I have yet to see Trident flowers, so if anyone has them please post a pic. If your wanting flowers on your bonsai, you need to let it grow wild for two years. Then you will see them provided the tree is old enough. If your like me, you'll never see flowers on your bonsai, unless you never prune!!!

 

[Shibui]

Will have to wait 6 months for pictures of trident flowers from my garden. Thought I had taken photos but can't locate the files just now.
Bonsai maples occasionally flower on the smaller shoots that don't get pruned.

The Taiwan form of trident is very precocious and will flower from a couple of years old. Even in pots and as bonsai I have seen them covered in seed.

 

[Jcmmaple]

Ahhh the wanders and beauty of the Japanese maple, that’s why it is my favorite tree. Thanks for the awesome post @Smoke

 

[Cadillactaste]

I will never forget seeing the blooms the first time in the cold greenhouse on that Ryusen I have. I had no idea they bloomed when I seen them. Thanks for sharing Al. Lovely for sure.

 

[Wilson]

It's funny how we sometimes forget that our bonsais are just trees. Like you said Al, all these trees grow flowers, but we still seem to forget. My old man still curses through spring/summer as the plethora of different deciduous that surround his yard rain down masses of flower, sap, and seed.

 

[Wilson]

Found a shot of Arakawa flowers from a couple years back

 

[coh]

Shishigashira seems to be a rather regular producer of flowers even as bonsai. Usually at least one shows up at a club meeting in the spring with flowers
(might be Bill's). I have one that I'm working on that has flowered.

 

[TN_Jim]

But, like all plants that grow from seed, if there is seed there is a flower.
[/QUOTE]

This is an interesting topic. I have no maples and have never considered that in bonsai, most never see their maples flower. Weather-wise I saw an A. rubra (one of our first spring trees in full red -perhaps too early).

However, the assertion of seeds = flowers is not right. Gymnosperms do not have an ovary/fruit surrounding their seed(s) as a result of bearing a flower. They’re “naked”.

@Smoke, I believe you are aware of this and were likely making a general statement...who cares, what it is

they’re naked

 

[0soyoung]

Conifers have cones.

pine, spruce, fir, juniper, bald cypress, hemlock, thuja ...​

things we have a tendency to label as 'evergreens' even though some are deciduous = dropping leaves in fall​

Angiosperms have flowers.

prunus, malus, acer, fagus, ficus, carpinus, ilex, rose, quince, rhododendron including azalea, pyracantha, cotoneaster, ...​

things we tend to call 'deciduous' even though some retain leaves through the winter (i.e., 'broad leafed evergreens')​

All conifers and angiosperms reproduce by seeds, but cones are not flowers and flowers are not cones.

 

[just.wing.it]

Conifers have cones.

pine, spruce, fir, juniper, bald cypress, hemlock, thuja ...​

things we have a tendency to label as 'evergreens' even though some are deciduous = dropping leaves in fall​

Angiosperms have flowers.

prunus, malus, acer, fagus, ficus, carpinus, ilex, rose, quince, rhododendron including azalea, pyracantha, cotoneaster, ...​

things we tend to call 'deciduous' even though some retain leaves through the winter (i.e., 'broad leafed evergreens')​

All conifers and angiosperms reproduce by seeds, but cones are not flowers and flowers are not cones.

Where does Taxus fit in 0so?
The male plant makes flowers, the female makes fruit, yet its an evergreen conifer.

 

[William N. Valavanis]

Larch, Larix, a deciduous conifer

Top: Red female flowers develop into cones
Bottom: Yellow male flowers produce pollen to fertilize female flowers which develop into cones

 

[William N. Valavanis]

Shishigashira Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'

 

[William N. Valavanis]

Full Moon Maple
Acer japonicum

 

[Wilson]

Full Moon Maple
Acer japonicum
View attachment 230063View attachment 230064

I really love how you styled this maple, feel like I have seen the large version of this tree on canoe trips.

 

[JoeR]

I guess this one didn’t get the memo that flowers are supposed to be elusive. It’s really going all out this year. Unfortunately my phone camera refused to focus for any good pictures this morning.

 

[Paulpash]

Do Trident seeds look like their Acer Palmatum cousins? I have collected samara from Jap Maple but I've never had a mature trident in my garden.

 

[TN_Jim]

Botanically speaking, Gymnosperms do not produce flowers, and angiosperms do not produce cones.

There are Gymnosperm species that have structures, appendages, or organs that appear flower-like, but in no case of any of these do male gametes/pollen reach the stigma of a flower's pistil, and move down the style to an ovary producing a seed bearing fruit -as occurs in Angiosperms.

Larix and Taxus are tricky in this way of showy appearance in that they have flower-like structures. However, there is no flower or fruit in either case.
Larch have a fleshy cones or strobili that are red and relatively delicate, but despite appearance have the same mechanisms of reproduction as all other cones in Pinaceae -pollen lands on bracts of a female cone and reaches female gametes in the axils of these cone bracts...no flowers or fruits present.

Taxus produces what are commonly known as berries. However, if these were fruits they would be more akin to a drupe (like a cherry). However, they are not fruits -what appears to be the meat of the cherry is a fleshy outgrowth from the integument of the seed and cone scale. This is an Aril. It was likely evolved to be showy and attract birds similar to some fruits, but morphologically and reproductively is all derived from a cone.

People will likely forever say these gymnosperm species have fruits and flowers, but botanically/scientifically speaking they do not.

 

[just.wing.it]

Botanically speaking, Gymnosperms do not produce flowers, and angiosperms do not produce cones.

There are Gymnosperm species that have structures, appendages, or organs that appear flower-like, but in no case of any of these do male gametes/pollen reach the stigma of a flower's pistil, and move down the style to an ovary producing a seed bearing fruit -as occurs in Angiosperms.

Larix and Taxus are tricky in this way of showy appearance in that they have flower-like structures. However, there is no flower or fruit in either case.
Larch have a fleshy cones or strobili that are red and relatively delicate, but despite appearance have the same mechanisms of reproduction as all other cones in Pinaceae -pollen lands on bracts of a female cone and reaches female gametes in the axils of these cone bracts...no flowers or fruits present.

Taxus produces what are commonly known as berries. However, if these were fruits they would be more akin to a drupe (like a cherry). However, they are not fruits -what appears to be the meat of the cherry is a fleshy outgrowth from the integument of the seed and cone scale. This is an Aril. It was likely evolved to be showy and attract birds similar to some fruits, but morphologically and reproductively is all derived from a cone.

People will likely forever say these gymnosperm species have fruits and flowers, but botanically/scientifically speaking they do not.

Dang....

 

[0soyoung]

Where does Taxus fit in 0so?
The male plant makes flowers, the female makes fruit, yet its an evergreen conifer.

Taxus is a conifer.

Commonly, individual plants/trees have both male and female reproductive organs. These are classed as monoecious. Individual monoecious confers and angiosperms have only male or only female reproductive organs. Taxus are mostly dioecious, but occasionally monoecious and can even change sex.

 

[Smoke]

So now we have the flowers. Like I said the petals are about the size of a poppy seed.



Remember I said I don't get Coral bark flowers. I lied, they have popped out. I probably just never noticed them. I will be planting some seed this year now that I know!