Help! is it crimson queen or red dragon?

Hi all,

I have this tree for more than three months. I don't know anything about Japanese maple.
It was all gorgous red when we first moved in. Then more than a month ago, it started changing color (see pix).
Leaf dries up and some even drops.

I went to couple nurseries and They all recommend care. However, I nerver get a clear answer what is it exactly.
Please help me ID and some comments about this tree. I now know it's Japanese maple and it's called something like
acer palmatum dissectum but beyond that I am clueless

Is it supposed to change color from season to season? My first tree guy said it should not and 2nd tree gal said it should.

Thanks,
nguoimoi

another pix of this tree

It doesn't seem to be Crimson Queen or Red Dragon...both should be deep red all summer, turning scarlet in fall. There are many dissectum JP out there but yours is way to green for the cultivars your suggested. They do not like intense heat so you might need to move it to a more shaded area....morning sun would be ideal but might need shade from afternoon.

Any idea what is it? It was all red before summer. If I don't move it to another place, would it die?

I certainly would not move it now. Wait until the spring just prior to bud-swell. It might not die where it is, but the problems of brown leaf edges may occur yearly in the present location. Your cultivar may naturally turn somewhat green in summer...it should turn scarlet again in the fall. I'll see if I can get an ID but there are so many cultivars, it might not be easy.

Todd-Boland, could nguoimoi's JM be Inabe Shidare? I have a grafted one that looks like this and is doing the same thing. I moved it from the sun over a month ago and put it in the shade, It's older leaves have continued to dry up and some have fallen off. The younger ones are still green. There are a few brand new crimson colored ones coming out but I don't know if the tree is in too much distress to make it or not. Here's a picture of it I took today (I had to put it in the sun to take the pic. It's back in the shade now.)

Here's another picture I took. Maybe it'll help you diagnose this, too. Thanks so much, Jan

Yow! I can honestly say I've never had a JM do that! If the leaves continue to brown, it may be more serious than too much sun and heat....I feel fortunate to live in a cool climate. Our JM do fine as long as the snow load doesn't crush them!

In the meantime, the shade might be the trick. Did you move it into a pot mid-way through the season? Transplanting while in leaf is an added stress. The new green leaves may be enough for it to set buds for next year so hopefully it will leaf normally. If in a pot, put it in a sheltered site for the winter but don't plant it in the ground until the spring...JM hate fall transplanting.

A friend of mine has Inabare Shidare..it stays quite red all summer like Red Dragon. Mind you, they, like most dissectums, are very prone to leaf burn during hot, dry weather in full sun.

A further note. Of all the weeping, red dissectums, Crimson Queen is suppose to be the most heat and sun tolerant. All of the red dissectums will take on a greenish cast if too much shade. Finally, the most popular red dissectum that naturally turns greenish in late summer is 'Ornatum'. Nguoimoi, perhaps that is the cultivar you have.

I agree with Todd . My two crimson queens have been bright red all summer and they are in the sun all day. But they do have some leaf burn on the tips at top. It's been a really hot sunny summer with little relief ... BUT it grows new leaves SO FAST that it's hardly noticeable unless you look closely....As with all plants if you look close enough you will find imperfections thats life ;>)

My Crimson Queen is 20 years old and in full sun. It has done beautifully always. It has shown no sunburn yet. The Inabe Shidare was potted into a red clay pot the day I brought it home from the nursery two years ago and has stayed there ever since. We've had over 40 days of 90+ degrees and only in the last week have we had measurable rain. The Inabe Shidare got full sun from early morning to about 11:30 am daily. It was in full shade after that. I'll keep it in complete shade from now on and let the dry leaves fall, I guess, and hope the new ones coming on will be ok.

to: nguoimoi I change my opinion!!! MY two crimson queens were bright red but hadn't looked in a few weeks at them ( when I posted to you) and it's been HOT HOT HOT... Mine looks more like yours now even a few of the bright red new leaves have fallen ( but just a few, they seem weak stemed from heat stress... I bumped it gently by mistake and a couple fell)... I think you may have a crimson queen ...it looks suspiciously like mine does NOW...David

Todd_Boland On 8-18-05 I send you pics of my Inabe Shidare that looked like it was about to expire. About a week later, all of it's leaves fell off and I noticed a tiny bunch of new leaves budding out on the main trunk. Look at it now! It's going to be OK, I do believe. I still have it in the shade, and that's where it's going to stay until I bring it into the breezeway for the winter.

It's good that it is re-leafing but so late in the year, you'd better place it in a very sheltered spot for the winter as the stems might not be hardened properly prior to freeze up.

I just got back to this forum today. Thanks for taking another look at my sick tree. It's making a good recovery, though. I was going to send you another picture, but my camera told me my battery needed charging. It'll take 2 hours and I'll be too busy to get back on the computer by then, but I wanted to tell you that from Sept 12 to today, the leaves have doubled what they were on Sept 12. I kept the tree in my enclosed breezeway all last winter and will do so again this winter, too.