Wanted: Japanese maple varieties for bonsai

Fishtank307

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I'm going to buy some seeds for next spring. I was thinking about buying seeds of JBP, trident maple, bald cypress and Japanese maple.

My question: which Japanese maple varieties do you prefer and why?
 

Dav4

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I'm going to buy some seeds for next spring. I was thinking about buying seeds of JBP, trident maple, bald cypress and Japanese maple.

My question: which Japanese maple varieties do you prefer and why?
Japanese maples started from seeds that come from specific cultivars don't come true for that cultivar, meaning they're genetically different and shouldn't be considered to be that cultivar, even if they have similar physical characteristics. Cultivars are produced mainly through cuttings and grafting. With that said, straight up A. palmatum will generally be the most enjoyable to work as a bonsai due to it's vigor
 

Fishtank307

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Japanese maples started from seeds that come from specific cultivars don't come true for that cultivar, meaning they're genetically different and shouldn't be considered to be that cultivar, even if they have similar physical characteristics. Cultivars are produced mainly through cuttings and grafting. With that said, straight up A. palmatum will generally be the most enjoyable to work as a bonsai due to it's vigor

Interesting. So 'cultivars' that are grown from seed will be different from the plant that provided the seed? I wonder how different?
 

Dav4

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Interesting. So 'cultivars' that are grown from seed will be different from the plant that provided the seed? I wonder how different?
Totally depends. Asexual reproduction via cuttings and grafting produces clones of the parent plant. Sexual reproduction is where one parent flower provides the pollen and another provides the egg. If I stood next to my dad, you'd never confuse us as twins, even if we were the same age... he's a good looking guy, by the way:).
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Interesting. So 'cultivars' that are grown from seed will be different from the plant that provided the seed? I wonder how different?
Cultivars are not grown from seed, by definition, they are CULTIvated VARitieS. They are cultivated by grafting, cutting, or tissue culture, but not by seedlings. This is how the next generation retains all the attributes of the parent.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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To extend the explanation, all examples of a named cultivar can be traced back to a single seed. (We'll skip sports, brooms, and mutations for the moment). So all Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' we're propagated by cuttings or grafting from a single seedling. They are all genetically identical.

If you plant a dozen seeds from 'Bloodgood', each seed that sprouts is genetically different from 'Bloodgood', as 50% of genetics came from a different tree. In the case if self pollination, the pollen only has 50% of the 'Bloodgood' genes, and the ova (seed,egg) only has 50% of the genes of 'Bloodgood'. Key is, the 50% is a random mix of the dominant and recessive genes that makes 'Bloodgood'. If you raise a batch of say 100 seedlings from 'Bloodgood', you will get to seed perhaps a dozen different recessive traits not expressed in 'Bloodgood'. Hidden colors, leaf shapes, bark texture, growth rates, disease resistance, winter hardiness, and many more traits will vary in the seedlings from a named cultivar. Some might look a lot like 'Bloodgood', but will have some differences.

If you raise a a batch of seedlings, and one is unique enough that you propagate it, by cuttings, grafting or tissue culture, it is considered a cultivar, and you may name it. If it is commercially popular, you may even register it with the RHS, or trademark it, or patent it. Only patent gives you royalties, trademark is brand protection, RHS registration is merely bragging rights, but can be used to support patent rights.

Now you have half of what you need to know about cultivars, and I'm tired of typing, and I bet most readers abandoned this post back at the second sentence.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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So to answer @Fishtank307 original question, what do you like in a Japanese maple? Seedlings from a cultivar have a chance, emphasis on chance, of carrying at least some of the traits of the parents.

I like summer color in my maples, so I look for a parent with 'Shojo' in it's name, as this is a purple-red color that I like. Small seed maples tend to be more dwarf with smaller leaves. Also the name 'Hime' means princess, and tends to indicate dwarf.

If you like variegated leaves the name 'Nishiki' means 'Brocade', and in maples tends to mean a variegated or patterned leaves.

So think about what you like, order seed, raise a batch, a good size batch, and pick out the "keepers".
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Note: leaf traits, like very narrow leaf lobes, linear leaves, or bamboo leaf shapes, are not expressed in a seedling until it has a few years, maybe 5th year. So if you were looking for "harp string" style leaves, you need to give the seedlings a number of years for the trait to express itself.
 

rockm

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Take a look through this site. Search on "bonsai" and then look again, you will see similar characteristics for bonsai friendly Japanese maples--smaller leaves, full leaves, not dissected or threadlike, uniformish spring/summer color (variegated leaves are novelties that can look like they've got a disease). Thread leafed varieties tend to get crispy in the summer as bonsai, as do dissected leaves. Those varieties are also a bit slower compared to the regular "mongrel" main Japanese Maple.
https://mrmaple.com/
 

Fishtank307

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Koto Hime is the best variety for Bonsai IMO... and I just happen to know a guy with cuttings for sale! ;)

If only I lived in Columbia :D I've also got my eye on another cultivar, named Arakawa. I had seen it before, but never knew the name!
 

Eric Group

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If only I lived in Columbia :D I've also got my eye on another cultivar, named Arakawa. I had seen it before, but never knew the name!
There are numerous rough bark varieties floating around it seems. I have found the Arakawa harder to propagate so I don't have that many of those.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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There are numerous rough bark varieties floating around it seems. I have found the Arakawa harder to propagate so I don't have that many of those.
Cuttings are challenging, but they air layer in about 20 minutes. Think bigger.
 
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