![]() Inflorescences are groups or arrangements of two or more flowers. They all have small flowers in inflorescences that appear before, during, or after leaf emergence in the spring. They tend to be self-compatible and can pollinate their own flowers. ![]() Japanese Maples are mostly monecious, with separate male and female flowers on the same tree. Identifying Japanese Maple Trees by Their Flowers This is often seen in the dissectum and Acer japonicum cultivars.Īcer pictum cultivars have entire margins that are smooth and are not serrated in any way. Some margins have a combination of sharp lobules and teeth (see section above on What is the Difference Between a Lobe, Lobule, and a Large Tooth), with all the sizes in between. Sometimes the teeth are almost dentate, which is much like serrated in that the teeth are sharp, but they are usually triangular and point directly out away from the leaf instead of forward. This is seen in some of the Acer palmatum and dissectum cultivars. Some have doubly serrated margins where the teeth have teeth of their own. They can be finely serrated with small, closely spaced teeth, or they can be coarsely serrated with large or small teeth that are farther apart.Īll Acer palmatum, dissectum, atropurpureum, and Acer shirasawanum cultivars tend to have serrated margins. Serrated margins are jagged-toothed with sharp and usually forward-pointing teeth, like a saw. Most Japanese Maples have leaves (lobes) that have serrated margins. Identifying Japanese Maple Trees by Their Leaf Margins They are not deeply dissected like dissectum cultivars but may be cut ½ to ¾ of their length.Īcer palmatum ‘dissectum’ leaves vary from the type species in being 7 – 11-lobed with very deeply cut lobes that typically cut almost to the petiole, coming close to becoming a compound leaf with separate leaflets.Īcer japonicum leaves are pale green to yellow-green, almost round in outline, and palmately 9 – 11-lobed with deeply cut lobes.Īcer pictum has palmately 3 – 9-lobed leaves that are very shallowly cut, leaving most of the leaf whole its leaves are often wider than they are long.Īcer shirasawanum has very round, palmately 9 – 13 (rarely 7)-lobed leaves with very shallowly cut lobes (typically less than ⅓ of the way to the midvein). The Number of Lobes on Some Different Japanese Maple TreesĪcer palmatum leaves are palmately 5 – 7-lobed and are typically divided about to the middle, but they could be divided as much as ¾ of the way to the base.Īcer palmatum ‘atropurpureum’ cultivars are known for their leaves that resemble the type species but are always in vibrant reds, burgundy, or purple that retain their color throughout the growing season. ![]() Therefore, large teeth in a palmately lobed leaf will also never have a main midvein running to its tip. Large teeth are on the sides of the lobes because a lobe tip is never defined as a tooth. If it cuts less than ¼ of the distance to the midvein, then it is a large tooth. If the distance it cuts is more than ¼ of the distance to the midvein, it is a lobule. The distinction between a large tooth and a lobule follows the 25% or ¼ rule. In palmately lobed leaves, a lobe typically has a main vein running to it, while a lobule typically does not. So how do you know it is a lobe and not a lobule or large tooth?Ī lobule is a projection from a lobe rather than a stand-alone feature of its own. Often, the lowermost lobes are quite small, and it can be difficult to differentiate between a lobe and a lobule or a large tooth. ![]() What is the Difference Between a Lobe and a Lobule? You can use the number of lobes a leaf has and how deeply cut (also called incised or dissected) those lobes are to the leaf base to help identify the different types of Japanese Maples. Identifying Japanese Maples by The Number of Lobes on Their Leaves
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