Anyone have Acer palmatum seeds?
Japanese Maple Seeds
I made the above request, didn't realized Erin was logon. Please contact me, not Erin. Thanks.
I have some, as well as seedlings, and would be happy to trade.
PlanterRik. Can you please describe these seedling leaves to me? Do they look almost like a geranium leaf? Thanks for your help. I have some growing and didn't think they would look like that. Did I possibly get the wrong seeds?
Is there a chance those are Althea/Rose of Sharon seedlings? My Japanese maple seedlings first show long thin cotyledons, then well formed, deep red, hanging, mini maple leaves in pairs, less incised than they will be later and a little compressed, like most babies.
What did your seeds look like? Maple seeds are pretty distinct. Japanese maple seeds are smaller than those of other maples I am familiar with -- around an inch long, with a BB-sized seed and a feather tail that makes them whirl when dropped. Some Japanese maple hybrids can make smaller seeds, but they look the same.
There are many, many Japanese maple hybrids now, but no one claims that the hybrids will come true from seed, though a percentage usually does. Hybridizers have to wait until the seedlings are showing their mature leaf shape and color. We started with a red Japanese maple. Now our largest is green, and we have two others that are red, but they produce fewer seedlings.
I think of Geranium (Pelargonium) leaves as rounded/lobed, while Acer palmatum leaves (even seedlings) have pointed tips. Woodland geraniums or scented geraniums might have baby leaves that look like maples, but I've never grown those from seed.
Does this help?
My seeds, J. Maple Palmatum from a trader, look like round scalloped geranium leaves! Think I got took!???
The seeds sound like either Althea or Hollyhock seeds. They're both flat, and, if you look closely, Hollyhock seeds look a little more "horseshoe" shaped than round. They're both a little fuzzy.
I can't remember what Hollyhock cotyledons (the first pair of "pre-leaves") look like, but Althea cotyledons fit your description. They also stay for a long time and grow significantly before it ever puts out the first true leaves.
I just went out and looked at the Althea seedlings, and their cotyledons are more rounded than I was thinking -- rounded with one indention at the midvein. When they first open, they can look lobed because they are wrinkled and the edges are wavy. As they grow, the surface smooths out, but the edge stays wavy for a good while.
Do you have a way of posting a picture? (I've had a digital camara for four months and a scanner for five, but I still haven't taken the time to figure them out.)
I don't think anyone would intentionally misrepresent and mislabel seeds, but it could have been a mistake. Some Japanese maples produce very few seeds, while Altheas, if one is nearby can cover the ground with seeds. Maybe your trader collected them under a Japanese maple tree and made a bad assumption. Why not write him or her and ask if that is a possibility.
Here's a picture of Japanese maple seeds.
Well Rik, I don't see your picture, but I'm wondering if somehow the tags got mixed up and what Hibiscus is seeing is the BlueBird Rose of Sharon seeds that I sent her. Sounds feasible. I've never seen the Japanese Maple seeds. Do they look anything like our maple seeds from the US, you know silver maple, red maple, etc?
Brugie, they look just exactly like 'regular' maple seeds, but smaller, and some have a little pink on them.
Thanks Ronna, I figured they did look about the same. I grew some red maple seeds last year from a member here and every single seed came up. I was giving trees away right and left. Maples usually come up quickly and reliably. I'd like to get some of the Acer Palmatum seeds myself. Not sure about the zone they are hardy to though.
No, Shirley, I have the B. R of Sharon in another place at another time. These were from Brazil.
I'm surprised that they didn't come right up. Maple seeds usually come up fast. Mine came up with pointed leaves that filled out a bit with time. Not the same kind, mine were red maples.
That was my first attempt at posting a picture. Here goes another try. (The pic is from Momiji.)
Now that I'm emboldened with success, here are some Althea/Rose of Sharon seeds -- though mine have never seemed so furry as these. (Pic is from larvalbugbio.)
Hibiscus -- Do either of these pictures look familiar?
Yep, not quite as furry, but not at all like the first seed pic. Will get a pic of plants for you.
Hibiscus -- Email me about how many Japanese maple seeds or seedlings you will need. I have about enough for you, Tim, if he shows up again, another DGer who wrote me and myself. These are stratified -- I collect them after the worst of winter -- but that means that the squirrels get a lot of them. This year they've been digging every place I touch, except in the pots where the big fat oak acorns are planted.
If you have some extra plants from Brugie's blue Altheas, Id love to trade for them.
Brugie -- my violet-stems are coming out of dormancy, and yours will be on their way to you as soon as they are up enough for me to tell who's who.
Thanks Rik,
I've been meaning to write and ask you if the yellow cleome' ever grew for you. I think I have more seeds from the Althea if you want me to send you some. I'll have to check.
S.
PlanterRik,
You have mail.