Yellow/Gold Fall Color in Trident Maple?

plainsbonsai

Hi all. I've been a visitor to this forum for quite some time, but have never posted a thread. A friend and I thought this situation warranted an inquisition. A Trident maple in my collection, which was originally imported from Japan, has consistently produced only yellow/gold fall color. A friend of mine, who's Trident was domestically grown, has experienced the same.

We've been pondering on whether this is a new/different strain of Trident? Our other deciduous species have produced their normal fall tones, so we have not attributed this to our growing environment. We have both grown Tridents in the past that produced what I consider, the normal red/orange fall color. I have attached a photo of my friend's Trident, which was taken a couple of weeks ago.

Has anyone else experienced this? Thoughts?

Attached Images

Trident_Maple_Fall_2006__front_.jpg (70.0 KB, 109 views)

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rockm

No. Yellow is the default color for tridents. Too wet conditions, frost doesn't arrive at the "right" time, there are alot of variables in fall color of trees.

You do not have a new strain of trident maple.

Vonsgardens

Leaf shape seems a little odd, could you post a close up? Lot's of hybrids out there (yes, even from Japan...) John

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plainsbonsai

Thanks for your replies. John, it doesn't appear to be a hybrid. Here's a closer look at the leaf.

Attached Images

close Trident_Maple_Fall_2006__front_.jpg (33.7 KB, 57 views)

soonami

leaves look almost like acer rubrum, but its habitat is clearly trident.

Xanthophylls and carotenoids, pigments in the leaves are mostly responsible for the yellow and gold color. Different growth conditions are conducive to the formation of different pigments. So what is probably responsible for difference in color is mostly likely not genetic but environmental

rockm

The appearance of red in fall leaves depends alot on local environmental conditions, including soil pH. Anthocyanins are the pigments responsible. Their absence can be caused by quite a few things, genetics aren't at the top of the list, apparently.

Here's an interesting article on the chemisty involved:

http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemwee...r/fallcolr.html

Vonsgardens

It is a hybrid, the 4th aqnd 5th lobes give it up. I have imported (in the past tense pre oct 2002) a number of big tridents from Korea, some of which have similar leaves. Trees and shrubs in the genus Acer frequently hybridize. Nice uniform gold color, really like this trident. John

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rockm

I doubt very seriously this is a hybrid.

I get big variations in leaf form with my tridents, especially if I leaf prune them, or even hard prune their branches. I get leaves with sharply incised cuts and more than three lobes all the time, sometimes on the same branch as "regular" leaves.

I also get alot of variation in fall coloration depending on where they sit in the summer. Full sun exposure can produce alot of oranges and reds in the fall, but this can also vary from autumn to autumn with the weather-- frosts help "set" the reds in the leaves. Early frosts along with dry weather can produced alot of red. Rainy wet autmuns tend to make trees trend toward yellow.

Vonsgardens

Then it must be true.

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"Wiring is simple; However, it is not easy to do it right" Boon