Maple Leaf With Reddish Underside

Discussion in 'Maples' started by dt-van, Nov 28, 2014.

  1. dt-van

    dt-van Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    While hiking on the Salish Trail in Pacific Spirit Park yesterday we saw in one location lots of these fallen maple leaves where the leaf front was green or yellowish, but the reverse was a sort of pale reddish-coral colour. I didn't notice the tree or trees they came from, but the leaves ranged in size from 3" to 8" across. Are they Acer pseudoplatanus purpureaum/Purple Sycamore or (since they were not purple) is this just part of the natural colour variation of A. pseudoplatanus? Are the leaf backs this colour all year round, or just in autumn?

    I don't remember noticing them before, so I guess they aren't a common tree in Vancouver. They make an interesting change from the usual fallen leaf colours. I particularly like how the colours are reversed so that the upper surface has a green leaf with a very red petiole and veins, while the underside of the same petiole is green to contrast with the reddish leaf back.
     

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  2. Axel

    Axel Active Member

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    The leaf shape is highly suggestive of A. pseudoplatanus (definitely not A. platanoides). Several cultivars of A. pseudoplatanus have leaves that are purple on the underside all year round (most notably 'Spaethii' and 'Atropurpureum'), while other forms develop plain green leaves.
     
  3. emery

    emery Renowned Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    It is Acer pseudoplatanus f. purpureum. The colour can be quite a deep purple, but this depends on individuals and also it fades later in the year.

    The tree is naturally occurring in the Bretagne region of France where it resists salt winds very well. I've observed beautiful specimens in a wild grotto on the Ile de Groix, in the sun with the wind fluttering the leaves they are spectacular. I received a wild sapling from the Nantes region this year, but it is still too small to see how good the purple will be as it varies widely by individual and with age.

    For all it's positives the tree has no fall colour at all, not even the yellow most sycamores provide.

    In the trade 'Atropurpureum' is usually applied to seed grown sycamores which, predictably show a large range from no purple at all to very good purple. Not a tree to buy in winter! 'Spaethii' is a cultivar grafted from a very good seedling but is not widely available in Europe (anyway) and many nurserymen take it as another name for Atropurpureum. If you really want Spaethii you have to make sure it's grafted, but many seedlings (especially good wild ones) are its equal.
     

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