What is this?

I got this from a RU... and well I love it! I think I was told it was a kind of Jap Maple... is it?

another pic

I can only tell you that it's not a Bloodgood. It has a beautiful leaf though.

I'm suspicious that this isn't a Japanese maple. Those petioles are verrrry long and they have some funky little leaves in the axils. In Central IL, we sell a tropical/annual that looks similar but I don't remember the name. How much did you pay for it?


Regards,
Ernie

I am also suspicious...I don't think it is a jm either it looks more like a type of ninebark although it is differnt than my diablo there are a BUNCH of differnt types of nine barks..it may not be one but I just don't think it's a JM...nice plant though whatever it is ..David

If it were a Jm it would seem to be more like a japonican...not a palmatum...but although some do turn red in fall it is a bit early especially in FLA for ANY to do .... and to be THAT red with NO leaf burn or obvious bug damage in your area( or in fact almost anywhere) for ANY jm... this time of year ...after a hot summer ...and before fall color... would be really unusual and in fact HIGHLY unlikely !! David

That's good detective work David. There's not a JM tree that I have that has not had some leaf burn at this point in the summer.

that is cool... I got it for free ... I have no idea what it is... The leaves look mapleish... so I was not sure.. and some one had said maybe it was... but I was not sure!

It is so beautiful!

It's certainly beautiful. Perhaps the Trees and Shrubs or the ID forum would be a better place to get an ID on this tree. You certainly want one so you know where to plant it and give it the space it needs!

Looks very much like my Hibiscus acetosella.

This is a pic with my Hibiscus acetosella in it....I wonder if you have it, or something similar?? Just a thought....

This message was edited Oct 30, 2006 11:54 PM
edited to say I should read the post above my own..... LOL :-)

This message was edited Oct 31, 2006 7:44 PM

it is close... ! Mine is starting to get a roughtness to the "trunk"

It is getting very tall now! lol

It is not a maple at all...the leaves are alternate and all maples have opposite leaves! I agree that it is probably a hibiscus species.

cool! I'm watching it.. I have no idea what to do with it... will it have flowers? I am still looking on info! lol

Noell~~ Mine had really large, deep wine/maroon colored flowers that looked liked crepe paper. I really enjoyed it until a mole/gopher/something ate its roots and it shriveled up and died in like 10 minutes flat... :-( It really is a striking foliage plant, and the flowers add a real zing, I think you'll like it!

Jamie

Looks like a Red Shield hibiscus and the flowers description matches. They are not cold hardy here in middle Georgia but easily grown from seed.

Digs

The leaves of a Japanese maple are opposite leaves on a stem - two at a time directly opposite each other.

The plant in the pick seems to have petioles and leaves that alternate instead - left, then right, then left, then right.