Acer Griseum Paperbark Maple vs. Stewartia Koreana?

14 years ago

Thanks to a quest for interesting smooth textured bark in a small tree I've almost narrowed down my list to these two.

This spot is 15 or so feet from the north side of my house. Pretty decent soil on a slight hill. The water flows fairly strong another 10 feet to the north. Full sun when young, due to receive some more shade in a decade or two from other large trees growing nearby.

I've seen Acer Griseum at the Missouri Botanical Gardens and found it quite attractive. Never noticed its fall color. Is it usually any good? Also while I'll plant a good number of Asian trees anyone notice if its considered invasive?

For the Stewartia Koreana, I don't know that I've ever seen one. Any problems with stinky fruit or ridiculous juglone intolerance? My nearest walnuts are 150 feet away. Do they transplant easily enough? Are the flowers noticeable? Fall color reliable?

Once again I'm mostly going for bark and size effects. Any fall color or flower bonus's are appreciated.

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Comments (13)

Embothrium
14 years ago
Try the maple. Blazing fall color generally one of the main features but apparently in some parts back there it is not as impressive.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bailey Nurseries : Bailey Nurseries
eukaryote
14 years ago
My Acer griseum had stunning color this past fall, but we had an exceptionally mild, moist summer, and a long cool autumn, so I don't know how it will perform in a more typical Missouri year. This is only the second year I've had it, and only the first year that it's had a chance to develop autumn colors without being moved around or messed with.
I also planted a Stewartia koreana this past spring, and it has been somewhat sensitive to full sun, even though it only gets about three hours in the morning. I'm hoping that will change as it develops a more established root system, but I would urge caution planting one where hot sun is an issue. The Acer griseum has been very tolerant of full sun for me so far.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
i planted one of the variations of that type of barked acer ....

once established... grew 5 feet per year ...

5 years later.. started killing everything within 20 feet of it with its aggressive... surface roots ...

cut it down last fall ....

15 feet sounds a bit to close to the house ... i might question that it will magically stop at some given height ...

is septic an issue??? house foundation????

ken
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
14 years ago
Ken, are you sure you are talking about the same tree? Or is your maple-phobia getting the best of you? :-))

Like other Asian maples, Acer griseum does not have a noticeably aggressive root system. It will not invade septic systems or foundations and I doubt it will even be able to lift a sidewalk or drive. It is not a big tree -- 30' on a very mature one is pretty typical here. All manner of plants grow under my paperbark. And it is not invasive - although the tree can flower and seed profusely, most of the seeds will not germinate. In fact, difficulty of seedgrown propagation is often a reason behind this selection's expense. Fall color may be slow to come on but it is typically stunning and quite intense.

Stewartia in a hot summer climate may not be ideal, at least without a ready irrigation source and protection from intense afternoon sun.
whaas_5a
14 years ago
I don't have any experience with Stewartia but have recieved mixed reviews on it. I still plan to get one to try it out.

As for Acer griseum the fall color is variable. I've been told over and over if you want good fall color you need to purchase in the fall. Reports show that the fall color is pretty consistent out east and not so in the Midwest.

Acer triflorum and pseudosieboldianum are reported to have much more fall color consistently. Especially pseudosieboldianum. But neither have as impressive bark as A. griseum...which of course is consistent.

By the way A. griseum is such a small slow growing tree you'd never have any issues with aggressive roots. But they are still considered a shallow root system.

I never heard of an aggressive trifoliate maple. Maybe maybe A. nikoense??
lou_spicewood_tx
14 years ago
A. griesum grows very slowly here in Dallas and I can't see it having such aggressive root system. Doesn't get very wide either so I don't know where Ken is getting his information from. It's perfectly fine to plant it 15 feet from the house. it'd never touch the house in your lifetime anyway.

Ken is just being Ken. He simply hates ALL maples for no good reason. Just because of one maple tree he used to have and just assumed all maples have same root system...
cloud_shine
14 years ago
Acer griseum gets my vote. Slow growing but worth the wait.
basic
14 years ago
Yo, Adrian -- Probably should ID the maple you have before denigrating the entire genus.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
Original Author
14 years ago
Ken this doesn't seem to be the largest growing tree in my neck of the woods. My expectations are for it to reach about 30 feet in 30/40 years then begin to die. If there were a 30 foot tall 30 foot spread (10 meters England!) declining version of itself there today I'd be able to remove it w/o renting a life.

Perhaps these big 60 foot around white ash monsters planted so near the house they grow 3/4 over it have made me overly fearless lol.

Sounds like I'll avoid the Stewartia for now unless a shady spot opens up. The flowers are an added bonus but if it won't tolerate a decade or so of sun its a no go.
Embothrium
14 years ago
40 years is nothing, should live much longer than that.
arktrees
14 years ago
Ken is a wealth of knowledge on many things, however maples are no one of them. IMHO he simply let his passions get the best of him on this occasion.

As for Acer griseum. We have one that we have had planted for about 1.5 years in probable 90% possible sun. It has had no issues with being in full sun, and had very nice color this fall. FWIW the person we bought it from had a number that she had left over from a previous business. They had planted one for themselves at the time ours was planted in a pot. The planted tree was probable already 15' tall and 3-4" caliper. So given the right conditions they seem to be able to grow much faster than referenced.
picea
14 years ago
Go with the paperbark maple. The stewartias can be very tricky unless you have the right conditions including acid soil. I have never seen a nice one in Cincinnati and have planted 5 or 6. None have done well. If you are interested in something with interesting bark for your area you may also want to consider Pinus Bungeana.

David
Embothrium
14 years ago
Ken may have planted one of the selections on the market derived from crossing of paperbark and purple sycamore maple.

Acer Griseum Paperbark Maple vs. Stewartia Koreana?

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Embothrium

eukaryote

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Acer Griseum Paperbark Maple vs. Stewartia Koreana?

Comments (13)

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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St LouisOriginal Author

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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
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