American Red Maple in flower

Hey Randy-
Did you collect this tree? It is very nice!
There is a lot of variation among A. rubrums. A nursery I worked at had a small-leaf cultivar that was outstanding. Perhaps this was it? I regret not getting one.

ross lebold wrote:Hey Randy-
Did you collect this tree? There is a lot of variation among A. rubrums. A nursery I worked at had a small-leaf cultivar that was outstanding. Perhaps this was it? I regret not getting one.

Ross,

No, I grew this tree from seed that I obtained from a commercial seed supplier here in the US some 12 years ago. I bought the seed knowing that it was from what was then a unique sub-species (subsp. drumondii) of American Red maple. I believe if I'm not mistaken the seed came from a tree in the Arnold Arboretum. It's too bad you didn't get one of those small-leaf cultivars when you had the chance (been there done that). These days, If I see something unique I usually try to get it if it's within the limit of my wallet.

No clue what variety Randy has but there are lots of cultivars of the Acer Rubrum. Looks like this was written in the early 80's.
cultivars

Here's the 'nugget' I mentioned earlier.

[quote="Russell Coker"]
Here's the 'nugget' I mentioned earlier.

That's a very nice cultivar Russell!!!! Would be nice to get one and try it out. It may take a few years but then, you look like a young man with many years ahead of you so give it a go bud! What's the Fall color like on it?

Hey Randy.

Looks are deceiving! I think this IS a good one, now if I can just get my hands on it. Back in January I spoke with the guy who found and was growing it years ago and asked him to reconsider it. The leaf is thick and the growth is strong, making a stocky tree. If I were going to fool around with ANY A. rubrum down here it would be this one.

Fall color is yellow, if I remember correctly.

adam1234 wrote: In your opinion which are the best books to reference for plant identification. Could you also suggest books for tropical plant identification. Thankyou.
Adam

For identification in North America, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. There are eastern and western editions. There is a companion volume for wildflowers. I imagine Canada & most countries of Western Europe have the equivalent. I know Israel has a field guide to trees & shrubs. I'm not sure how good it is because I read very little Hebrew. I'm waiting for an English edition. There is also a book of Israeli wildflowers.
For the rest of the world, you probably have to rely on the Internet. For the tropics, a pocket guide is impossible. You would have to rent an extra truck to carry it. For identifying plants in the tropics, you would have to use a flora of one particular family or one country at a time. Also, since taxonomy changes constantly, a book is obsolete before the ink is dry. I imagine most modern plant explorers carry an iPhone or Blackberry or some such thing with an Internet connection, unless they are going so far into the jungle that a connection is impossible.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:

adam1234 wrote: In your opinion which are the best books to reference for plant identification. Could you also suggest books for tropical plant identification. Thankyou.
Adam

For identification in North America, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. There are eastern and western editions. There is a companion volume for wildflowers. I imagine Canada & most countries of Western Europe have the equivalent. I know Israel has a field guide to trees & shrubs. I'm not sure how good it is because I read very little Hebrew. I'm waiting for an English edition. There is also a book of Israeli wildflowers.
For the rest of the world, you probably have to rely on the Internet. For the tropics, a pocket guide is impossible. You would have to rent an extra truck to carry it. For identifying plants in the tropics, you would have to use a flora of one particular family or one country at a time. Also, since taxonomy changes constantly, a book is obsolete before the ink is dry. I imagine most modern plant explorers carry an iPhone or Blackberry or some such thing with an Internet connection, unless they are going so far into the jungle that a connection is impossible.
Iris

Thank you Iris for the information. A thread has been started here https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t10255-tree-identification-guides-on-the-internet#107856 which will prove very useful.

Acer Rubrum drumondii is a type of red maple with smaller leaves, as shown in the previous image. It grows
in the southern Midwest and south to Arkansas and Texas.

Smaller leave's, smaller petiols, and larger flowers.

It's a Southern Red maple