node

Hm, I checked up on it, and apparently it used to be classified as Acer Japonicum, before it was reclassified as a Shirasawanum maple.
It's not Palmatum and not responsible for palmatum cultivars. It is for the Japonicums though.

In 1784 the sweed Thunberg was the first who described the Japanese Maples found by him in Japan. (Hokkaido & Honshu)
It took until in the 1820~ until the first shrubs were brought back by him to England.
At the time the Dutch East India Company (VOC - Verenigde Oostindische Companie) were the only ones with trade access to Japan.
Later in the 1850's Sibold started bringing back more maples to Europe.
Of the Shirasawanum two were brought back in the 1885.
One ended up at the Hortus Leiden (NL), the other one was planted at Esveld.
(Over the past years, they took the time and looked at the records, and recently found the exact shipment the tree came in.)

The one in Leiden was never uses for propagation and died about half a century ago, the one Esveld has IS the parent of a lot of cultivars, just not the Palmatum ones as I thought.


It is not the case with this maple, but usually if it was introduced by Sibold or Thunberg, it could carry the approproiate ending,
like all the plants we now know as 'Thunbergii' or 'Siboldii'.

Must have been a fine time for a botanist

Stefan

[edit]
Excerpt from the Book "Maples for Gardens" by C.J. & D.M. van Gelderen:

Described by J.A. Siesmayer, Germany, in 1888, but introduced into Europe about 1860 by Franz von Siebold and later Louis van Houtte.
Given the Horticultural Societies First Class Certificate in 1884 and Award of Garden Merit in 1993.
[/edit]

__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov
The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell