Can anyone identify this mystery pink Japanese Maple? Nobody seems to know what it is, other than "really pretty". You can see from the close up photos that the leaves are freckled with tiny dots of color. The leaves on the sunny side are almost completely pink. The shaded side has a few branches with green & white dotted leaves. The color mellows out in the summer to a salmon pink, but it is definitely still very pink. We were given permission from the tree's owner to cut some scions for grafting, but the grafter we chose said the diameter was too fine to work with. If anyone knows what this tree is, I'd love to buy one! This tree is about 12' tall, looks to be fairly old, and is in Salem, Oregon. Thanks for your help!
I'm thinking it could be "Ukigumo" pinked up because of the sun, but maybe someone else has a better idea? Hard to say for certain in these situations. By the way, you can graft thin scions; it just makes it a little more bothersome to get a nice cut and line up the cambium.
The shaded side reminds me of my coral pink, but I can't positively ID. My tree can have a pink look like the first two pictures, but it is short lived and fades to the shaded color of the mystery tree. Here is a link to some pictures from the grower that I got my tree: http://www.buchholznursery.com/plant_page.html?id=26cf9b here is a picture of mine on Flickr after the pink has faded: https://www.flickr.com/photos/65934...-aYwhAe/lightbox/?q=coral pink&w=65934757@N06
As others have said, maybe Ukigumo or Coral Pink. I'm also thinking a slight possibility of Murakumo... Do you know what color(s) it leafs out in in spring and what the fall color is? That might help narrow down the ID.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I have Ukigumo but have never tried it in the sun and didn't know it would turn pink. In the shade it has awesome white leaves with dark green freckles. I also have Shindeshojo which is much redder than the mystery tree but does have the really thin branches. My Coral Pink gets pink edges, but this mystery tree is pinker across the whole leaf and it stays that way. The spring color is a hot rosy pink and the leaves hold their color even as they mature. By the end of summer it fades a bit but still has a nice salmon pink color. I don't know of any JM that stays pink and doesn't green out. I'm not familiar with Murakumo. I'll have to look that one up (and probably put it on my wish list). :)
I would say the leaf shape is not quite right for 'Ukigumo', so rule that one out. I have no personal experience of 'Coral Pink' so cannot say. 'Shindeshojo', yes, a possibility, but usually the flecking is not as pronounced as we see here. The one it reminds me of most is 'Beni tsukasa'. If the owner will let you try, 'Beni tsukasa' propagates easily by air-layering. (P.S. Ponygirl, I was writing this before you posted your last message)
Did you see a graft union? (sometimes with older trees its hard to notice). Maybe it is a really unique seedling. I can't think of any named cultivar that does what you say this tree does all season long, in an open area, exposed to sun.
I had considered beni tsukasa, but never knew one to hold its pink color up to fall. Maybe its something that comes with age. It was mentioned:
Thanks maf for the air-layering suggestion. I hadn't considered that option. What is the best time to do it? Is it best to try on new growth, or last year's wood, or..? JT1 - the tree is in Oregon near my in-laws so the next time I visit them I will look to see if there is an obvious graft union. The tree was already there when the current owner moved in and she unfortunately knows nothing of its history. I have to admit to owning Beni tsukasa as well (yes, somebody sign me up for rehab, or else buy me a bigger yard, cuz I'm running out of room!). My Beni tsukasa has more of an orange color and not much of the freckling. Has anybody seen a tree called Masu kagami? There appear to be photos of two different versions floating around on the internet. One of them looks a lot like my mystery maple, but I have not seen it in person. Thanks everyone for all your help!
