This has to be one of the most desirable small trees for its bark and autumnal colour so why don’t we see it more?
The answer could be that seedling raised plants take two years to germinate and the seed has about one percent viability! It is also only recently that a compatible understock has been found onto which it can be grafted.
The foliage consists of three leaflets that can turn brilliant red in autumn and in winter its pealing coppery bark looks stunning (it actually looks fabulous all year but is more obvious when the tree is bare and the bark wet.
It will slowly grow into a small round headed tree to 4 or 5 metres and for a maple is surprisingly wind tolerant and drought hardy so there isn’t only excuse for not buying one (or several for a copse!) and I have seedling stock in 6″ pots at $50 and grafted plants in 14″ buckets for $135, take your pick.
