The similarity is only in the bark color - and that is really most noticeable in winter anyway, when the tree is out of leaf. Otherwise rufinerve will get much larger and has rather "unmaple"-looking foliage, typically three lobed but sometimes as much as five. Have not seen fall color on 'Bihou' but rufinerves in general get very nice fall color. Personally I am not all that knocked out by 'Bihou' but that's just me :-) Japanese maples in our area are a dime a dozen.......I'd go with something a little less expected myself, like the 'Winter Gold'.

David- Hi I think you are probably correct that the murasaki kiyohime would be best situated somewhere else and I should go with 3 dissectums. There are just so many choices that I'm overwhelmed. In regards to the variegated dissectums, I already have Toyama Nishiki which has done surprisingly well for me, though I was told it was marginal here. It is very sheltered though under some hemlocks, but the color is outstanding and it has now grown to about 4ft x 3ft. I know where I can get a good sized Goshiki shidare, but I'm worried about the hardiness and the amount of sun it might get (too much). Do you know if goshiki shidare is any more/less hardy than toyama nishiki. I've never heard of Beni Ubi gohon, but I will look it up... I guess I'll make up my mind for good when I go to the maple nursery in a few weeks... Thanks!

Marion: I can't imagine why the nursery advised you to water your maple every day. Roots need air as well as water, and the roots of a Japanese maple will start to die if they are sitting in soggy compost. Also, overpotting (moving a plant into a pot that's more than a size or two larger than the one it was in) can result in the roots being in contact with a mass of stagnant compost, which in turn can result in plant death (I have killed off a couple of acers myself, over a period of two years or so, by overpotting). I would hold off on the watering. In cases where the plant is of manageable size, it would be a good idea to tip it out of its pot to examine the roots (if they are brown and mushy, or breaking off, then they are dead), and maybe repot into a smaller container. However, by your comment about its cost, I'm assuming it's pretty big and this course of action isn't an option! Sandie: Japanese maples have quite delicate leaves that can get burned in hot sun (some varieties will suffer badly, others much less so). Could you perhaps provide some temporary shade to keep the worst of the sun off it? Also, if the area where it is planted is dry, it may benefit from supplementary watering. Hope this helps.

I think it most likely has to do with planting time, typically with JMs (and others like c. kousa) they are slow growers, then they spring up one year rapidly growing then revert back to their normal habits.