Based on what I can see, looks very much like it could be one of the coral barks, probably 'Sango Kaku'. Low forked branching - the extra 'trunk' - is quite common with these and that one should be removed.

Will eventually get too large for that container and sooner rather than later :-) Can you find another good location for it in the garden?

Thanks. I was wondering if it was a coral bark of some sort. However on all the photos I've seen of those the bark is a much more intense red. Whereas mine is more of a reddish brown. (although I'm sure there are tons of varieties) On top of that, the pics I'm seeing of Sango Kaku's leaves don't seem to match mine. They appear to be solid green and of a slightly different shape. Another variety perhaps?

And I will definitely prune some of the low branches. Thanks for the confirmation on that.

I had a feeling it wouldn't last in the container long, but it needed to be moved from where it was at. At the moment we don't really have another place for it. Our 'garden' is still a total mess. We've been in the house for about a year and we're still cutting back overgrowth, removing ivy, repairing fences, etc. But eventually we can find it a new home. JM in general seem to do ok in shade, right? Our backyard is almost completely shaded all day due to several mature Douglas Firs and 1 very large apple tree.

In the meantime, are there ways to prune this to limit it's height and maybe increase it's width a bit? Can you "pinch"/prune the top to encourage side growth like you can on some perennials? Or would that just mess it up?

Thanks, and sorry for all the noob questions. :)

'Sango Kaku' is one of the most heavily propagated of any of the Japanese maples and often from less than ideal stock plants and with less than ideal results. Ergo, appearance can be variable :-) But there are other selections that will have reddish bark and similar leaves - just can't see well enough from the photos to say for sure one way or the other.

The growth habit is pretty characteristic of a lot of young JM's -- I'm not sure heading back or pinching the growth is necessarily going to make it fill out any sooner. It just needs to grow into itself, like a gawky teenager needs to grow into his body. And you don't want to top or limit/control height - it should be allowed to grow to its genetic potential

Shade is OK, although heavy shade can encourage leggy growth and a leaning towards more light. In the PNW, most JM's can easily tolerate full sun. And protection from late afternoon sun is never a bad thing regardless of location :-)

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a less than stellar specimen, as the previous owner of this house seems to have cut corners on lots of various things. But it has at least been very healthy in the year that we've owned it. I only wish I could remember what the bark looked like in winter, and it seems that is when 'Sango Kaku' is at it's peak? (I seem to think it was dull grey, like everything else, but who knows)

I'll let it grow unheeded then. And when it gets too big for it's current location (hopefully I have at least a little bit of time), I'll look for a new home.

Right now, and in it's previous location, it has mostly been full sun. If you can call it that in Portland. :) As of now the backyard gets pretty limited sun - mostly filtered sun or full shade, depending on where it is. But we're still cutting back overgrowth so that could change.

In the meantime, I'll try and grab a few more photos to help confirm the ID. Anything in particular I should get? Seems I have leaves covered. I'll at least try and get more of the bark and general habit.

I should have noticed/asked earlier.......is there a graft you can identify? There is no clear sign of one in the pics, but that may just be my view :-)

If no graft, then this is most likely a seedling - just a generic Acer palmatum, no assigned cultivar name. And these can vary quite widely with regards to stem color, leaf form, size and color and even growth habit. But they typically make very nice trees nonetheless!

It could be an unnamed seedling of a Sango Kaku. You're right, the red stems don't appear as red as a true grafted Sango Kaku.
Fall color quality would determine if it's worth keeping in my garden. There are other criteria, but Fall color is usually the main one, and Sango Kaku doesn't impress me in that regard. Others have a different opinion.
Your call.

Mike

Good call. I just checked and there doesn't appear to be any signs of a graft, so seedling it is.

For fall color, I thought I remember it being red, but I could be totally wrong, and it seems that Sango Kaku is more yellow/orange. I'll pay closer attention this year. As for getting rid of it, I'd hate to get rid of a perfectly healthy little tree, especially considering it was free. But we'll see how things progress both in it's current container and as for finding a more permanent home as we work on the garden.

Thanks again everybody

With a seedling JM, you really have no way of determining ultimate mature size. It could get quite large - many JM's do in the PNW - or stay relatively compact. It all depends on the parentage and you have no way of knowing what that might be. So that is something you should keep in mind when you are considering placement for its permanent home.

There is nothing wrong with seedling JM's.......most make lovely trees. It all comes down to personal preferences and so very subjective, but fall color is only one single facet of a JM's appeal. Personally, I have never selected a JM based only on its fall color :-) Since that is something that is only present for a few short weeks each year, I'd want to consider other features as well that extend the interest throughout the year.

OTOH, there is nothing that says you must keep the tree if you have no place for it or you prefer something else. Craigslist is an excellent way of recycling unwanted plants.

Mike, I seem to recall you grow on a lot of JM seedlings from your property. What are your thoughts?

Point well taken. I don't really care about it's parentage or having a particular variety of JM. I posted out of curiosity and somewhat to get an idea of how to plan for it's growth. I have one spot in my garden that could take it in the future, almost regardless of size, but it'll take some work to get that site prepped. At least a year or so. So we'll see how that goes. My wife and I were at the Portland Japanese Garden yesterday and you're right there are several that are indeed quite large. Not even in the garden itself but also the surrounding neighborhood.

And I agree, fall color to me is one of many aspects. I prefer to have trees with 4 season interest, and as of now I certainly love the green & red variegated leaves. We'll see if they keep that color all summer. And craigslist is definitely an option if need be.

1. Fall color
2. Color of new growth leaves. Some are a striking red, turning green as they mature through the season.
3. Color of leaves during the summer. Red is my favorite, but I like at least two greens nearby to make the red standout. Contrasts compliment each other. The greens look better because of the red.
4. Some Japanese Maples have bright red seeds, and from a distance look like blossoms.
5 Branch pattern. Some are better than others. Weak, twiggy growth is less desirable to me because of the maintenance of removing the small twigs that invariably die.

6. Anything out of the ordinary. I have a few seedlings that look a bit different than the normal Japanese Maple. The leaves are a light green and appear to be a bit hairy. The parent tree was also a tree I grew from a seed. Unfortunately, it was run over by a truck that ran off my driveway. He was looking at the garden and the driveway is narrow.
Mike

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