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Metro Maples - Shantung Maples
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Here is a
Shantung maple with fall color. This is the first cultivar of a Shantung
maple and is called Fire Dragon® Maple. It is a
medium-size shade tree to 35 feet that grows in full Texas sun
and was discovered by me and is now available to the public.
This is the reddest Shantung maple I have ever seen, and was
selected from among the thousands of seedlings that I have grown. It
also has a near perfect leaf shape that makes a more elegant and
cleaner looking tree.
Shantung maples are in high demand in the lower midwest and are gaining
popularity throughout the upper-midwest and upper-south to the east
coast. This tree will prove to be tougher and just as beautiful as
any maple growing back east. Hardy and heat tolerant, it should grow
just about anywhere in acidic or alkaline soils.
Shantung is pronounced Shan tong, where tong is like your barbeque
tongs. |
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This is a
close-up of a leaf of Fire Dragon® Maple in the fall.
I have patented this cultivar (PP #17367) because of its superior fall
color and great leaf shape.
Expectations are very high. A-Rod couldn't bring a World Series to
Arlington, Bill Parcells did not get a Superbowl victory for the Dallas
Cowboys, the Mavericks failed badly in the first round of play-offs
after winning 67 regular season games, so can Keith finally bring a
championship to Texas with this tree?
METRO MAPLES INTRODUCTION - FIRE DRAGON®
SHANTUNG MAPLE
Planting tip: Best times to plant - early spring (Feb thru May) and fall
(mid-Sept thru Nov). |
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Close-up
of spring color on Fire Dragon® Maple. The new growth
changes to a bright red in summer.
Most Shantungs have a reddish-purple spring color and are sometimes
referred to as 'Purple Blow' maple. Most do not have lobular leaf
margins and have a larger leaf that resemble a Sweetgum. Most don't have
downward facing basal lobes but have a leaf base that is straight
across, or truncated. Most Shantungs also have a larger central leaf
lobe while Fire Dragon® maple has very uniform lobes. |
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Hundreds
of young Fire Dragon® grafts with spring color
turning from burnt orange to a pink and then to bright red when growing
vigorously in May.
Shantung maples grow 2 to 5 feet per year.
This tree has a superior root system with no faults except it cannot
tolerate water-logged soils. |
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And here
is the summer rose-red color on Fire Dragon® maple.
The leaf is so distinctive, even when solid green, that I am always able
to pick out this tree from regular Shantung maples.
The new growth colors are from pigments that help protect the new leaves
from ultra-violet rays until the leaf has a chance to photosynthesize
and harden-off. |
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Here is Fire
Dragon® Shantung maple (left), compared to Bloodgood
Japanese Maple, both in glorious fall color 2003. First grafts of Fire
Dragon®where done in 2002, but when I saw this color I
decided that I would patent this tree. |
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September
1 thru November 30 in 2007 was the second hottest fall ever recorded in
the D/FW area, yet Fire Dragon® maples colored-up like this
on December 2.
Reports have come in saying that Fire Dragon® in 2007 has
turned red from Oregon, New York, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and even in
Houston. |
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Finding a
consistent red for hot, sunny climates has been a challenge. Here is
Fire Dragon® Shantung in the fall of 2007 with Ginkgo
'Autumn Gold'. You could also use a seedling Shantung to get the deep
yellow colors to go with the red of Fire Dragon®. Many shade
trees that turn red in the central and northern parts of the USA never
produce red fall colors in the North Texas area. |
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Here is
the branching structure on Fire Dragon® maple and fall color
on Thanksgiving day, 2006.
This one is grown in pure sand with a layer of mulch, and was tested
which revealed a potassium deficiency and this probably affected the
shade of red. There are at least 3 different red anthocyanin compounds
that can form in the fall based on soil pH and other factors. I have
seen bright cardinal red, currant red with Chinese yellow margins, and
reddish-orange on this tree, but never yellow. Fall colors throughout
this tree are always consistent on every branch and leaf, and color
is not affected by cloudy days or shade.
Brilliant pure-red colors were reported from test plants in Oklahoma and
Arkansas in 2006 and also in vigorous plants in Texas. |
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The attractive
bark of a Shantung maple. Three year old wood is very hard. One of
the least damaged trees from ice storms according to a Kansas
State University study.
Shantung maples grow in full sun in all soils except very water-logged
soils. They can take the Texas heat and are very drought tolerant.
They also adapt well to shade and can survive there for many years until
they reach the sunlight. |
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A very
pleasing summer green color. To me they shine in the sun and look like
green diamonds. Shantung maples have a very efficient root system that
is not aggressive, a waxy and thick leaf, and low transpiration rates to
help them through hot summers.
Shantung maples grow to 35 feet tall and wide with age in the
lower midwest. They seem to grow faster and get a little bigger in warm
climates than those being grown in cold climates. They are hardy
to at least 25 degrees below zero. Fire Dragon Shantung was one of the
very few trees that showed no damage from the huge late freeze in April
2007 across the midwest.
Summer and fall was very dry and hot until Decemeber, in 2005, when
temperatures suddenly dropped from 90 degrees to 18, yet no Shantungs
were damaged. My 20 foot tall Sweetgum test-plant tree died from this. |
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Large
Shantungs are not messy and will drop all leaves and cover the
ground with color. They are easy clean-up compared to other trees
and decompose quickly. Here are regular and Fire Dragon®
leaves after leaf drop.
Acer truncatum has been used as a street tree in Shanghai for
many years, tolerating the pollution, limited root space, and compacted
soils. |
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Fire
Dragon® Shantung maple fall 2006 on the right with an
Arizona cypress 'Blue Ice' in the center, and a regular Shantung, left. |
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A branch
in fall 2006 from one of the many vigorous young Fire Dragon®
maples growing at Metro Maples. Glorious reds were seen on many of them
even though it was the hottest year ever in Dallas/Fort Worth.
Named from the revered symbol of its home country, China, the Dragon is
considered a benevolent creature that brings rain! |
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Here is a
picture of an Acer truncatum, Shantung Maple that I found at the Morris
Arboretum, PA. It is a beautiful tree, grown with its natural shape. It
was at the Arboretum at least by 1916 but probably there in 1906, making
it 100 years old when I took this picture.
Somewhere in its history a low branch was removed from the right-hand
side to allow clear passage on the road. Pictures taken from the left
side did not reveal branching, only foliage.
The tree was 35 foot tall and 35 foot wide. Main branching occurred at 2
feet. Trunk diameter is about 2 1/2 feet. No surface roots or decay
was observed. |
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Here is a
variegated Acer truncatum that will be propagated if it can take the
Texas sun. Another one that I found had so little chlorophyll that it
would not grow at all. |
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The early
spring blooms are bright and very nice on Shantung maples. Most
flowers are male flowers so seeds are not a problem in your
garden.
When you compare a Shantung maple to other shade trees it will always
come out on top. It takes the heat, cold, wind, ice, bad soils, doesn't
get too big, doesn't have surface roots, is long-lived, nice blooms,
nice bark, nice leaf, doesn't produce many seeds, and brilliant fall
colors. |
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A regular
seedling grown Shantung maple in fall color. This beautiful tree has
been grown with its natural shape and is in my display garden. The shape
of a Shantung maple can be affected by its location but will eventually
become rounded if given the room. |
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Here is a
close-up of the regular seedling-grown Shantung maple leaf color. It is
as bright a yellow as it gets. |
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Shantung
in glorious fall color this year in neglected area along Dick Price
Road. Metro Maples has the largest Shantung maples in the DF/W area for
you to see. |
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Metro
Maples - Shantung Maple Cultivars:
Fire Dragon® Shantung maple (top left)
Golden Dragon (top right)
Skinny Dragon (bottom right)
Witch's Dragon (bottom left)
Baby Dragon (center)
This is the picture used in The Maple Society Article, Summer 2006, see
below. |
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Fire
Dragon® Shantung maple fall 2005. The long hot and dry
summer and nutrient problems from being in pure sand produced a lessor
red with yellow edges. Still a very attractive and distinctive tree. |
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WARNING:
There are several garden centers and especially home improvement garden
centers that are selling inferior maples that are labeled as Shantung
maples. The two top left leaves are Shantung maples. The top right is a
Norway maple that had a Shantung tag. The lower left leaf is probably a
sugar maple that had a Shantung tag. Neither the Norway or Sugar maple
are good trees for alkaline soils and will grow for only a short while
and will not produce much fall color. Both the Norway and Sugar maple
have smooth gray bark, whereas even a small Shantung will show some
fissured bark and should be brown. If you purchased one of these
mislabeled trees I recommend you return it immediately. |
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Here I
am, 'King of the Shantung', climbing a Shantung maple. They make great
climbing trees.
This Shantung was grown from seed in 1995 and planted in the year 2000
as a test plant. It proved to be drought tolerant through that
very hot and dry summer without irrigation, even though it was planted
on the dryest possible place, the top of a sandy hill.
Texas A&M has designated the Shantung maple a Texas Superstar®.
Kansas State University has performed trials and declared it one of the
best ornamental urban trees. The United States Department of Agriculture
is currently researching Shantung maples and my Fire Dragon®
Shantung to introduce tough, reliable, and beautiful trees that will not
get into power lines. The future looks very bright for this tree. |
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Growing the Shantung Maple in Texas Conditions
written by Keith Johansson for The Maple Society newsletter,
published Summer, 2006.
Acer truncatum, Shantung maple, is thriving and gaining
popularity in difficult situations, like the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
area. I began commercially growing fifty plus varieties of Japanese,
Shantung, and other maples in Fort Worth in 1994 under the name Metro
Maples, but now I love the Shantung maple because of its toughness, good
growth, and year-round beauty. Dr. John Pair, Director of Research,
Kansas State University, told me back then at an American Rhododendron
Society meeting that I should grow Shantung maples. He was one of the
most respected horticulturists in the country and did the initial
research on the tree in Wichita, Kansas from seed sent from the Morris
Arboretum. Not only does Wichita get hot but it also receives severe
cold snaps and strong winds. Many reports on the Internet claim the
Shantung maple is cold hardy to at least minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit. In
early December 2005 none were damaged by a sudden change from 90 degrees
to 14 degrees, while many Japanese maples were damaged or killed.
Initially, Shantung maples were hard to sell, as nobody knew what they
were. To me it seemed like a tough and beautiful tree but many thought
it might be another Silver maple that falls apart quickly in my area. By
year 2000 the Shantung maple and only two other trees were on the Texas
A&M University Superstar list and sales took-off.
I have grown approximately 9,000 Shantung maples, which seed comes from
China with a climate similar to New York. They are easy to grow from
seed. Shantung seedlings have grown fast in the first year but lately
they have grown slowly. I believe recent seed was harvested too soon.
The average person with an established tree will get growth of 2 to 5
feet per year even in the alkaline black gumbo soils of Dallas or the
white caliche soil of Fort Worth.
They are extremely drought tolerant as I have watched several survive
without water during my very long and hot summers in my sandy soil. In
my area they do require irrigation for the best growth. In summer 2000 I
went 110 days without any rain. Last year was the worst drought in fifty
years and I began watering my larger trees in summer, once a month to
maintain good health. I have grown thousands in full sun in black pots
on black plastic and can get new growth, which does not burn, from April
until the first of September. Shantung maples must like it hot and
somewhat dry as my extremely sandy soil never holds any water and
dries-out very quickly and because for me they reach over 20 feet in 7
years!
The only native maple in my area is Acer negundo but is not a tree for
most people. To the east and southeast where soils are acidic and
rainfall more abundant is Acer rubrum and Acer saccharum spp.
floridanum. To the south is Acer saccharum ssp. grandidentatum. In
western Oklahoma there is a sugar maple that has survived the
millenniums in a small canyon that is called the Caddo Maple. These all
grow for me but are slower and are not quite as showy or as tough as the
Shantung maple.
Shantung maple branches are flexible but old wood is very hard, much
like an oak. They can grow in windy sites. Kansas State University
proclaims them also as one of the best performing trees in ice storms.
The bark is two-tone brown, heavily fissured and very attractive. The
root system reminds me of a Japanese maple and is not overly aggressive
or shallow rooted. They tolerate pollution and fit the typical urban
landscape. About the only thing they cannot tolerate is poor drainage.
The bright lemon yellow flowers are produced in corymbs and this year
one large tree had flowers for 10 days before the leaves emerged.
Usually the flowers appear only a couple of days before the leaves. So
far it appears that most seeds do not develop for me but this means that
the tree is also not weedy.
Spring and summer new growth is usually a reddish-purple, but reds and
oranges are also seen. Fall color is a very bright yellow on about 90
percent of the trees. Sometimes reds and oranges are mixed with the
yellow. Sometimes they are all red or orange but return to yellow the
next year except for a new introduction I call Acer truncatum ‘Fire
Dragon’™. This tree has always had red fall color. The other reason
I choose to patent and propagate this variety is the beautiful leaf
shape (see photo). ‘Fire Dragon’™ has smaller leaves that are
seldom truncate and have backward angled basal lobes, lobes with
prominent teeth, and do not have the larger central lobe that is typical
of most Acer truncatum. The size and shape of the leaves give the tree a
cleaner look. Summer growth can be a burnt orange or pink or bright red
depending on the nutrients and the amount of water. Fall color is a
cardinal red (RHS 822/3), or when I don’t have cool temperatures it is
a currant red (RHS 821/3) with striking Chinese yellow (RHS 606/1)
around the margins. ‘Fire Dragon’™ also appears more heat tolerant
as it has a good ability to keep healthy new growth without wilting
under extreme heat conditions. What seems so amazing is that 4 years ago
I had just one small mother tree, and now I have over 3,000 of them!
One of my first Shantung seedlings I grew is now 12 years old and turned
out to be a nice little dwarf. It is always growing, trying to be big,
but is only 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide. Its leaves are only 1 inch wide
and new growth is a very attractive orange-red all summer. I call this
tree, ‘Baby Dragon’. I have no plans for production but I do have
some safely tucked away in another location in case a tornado takes mine
out.
I am also testing two yellow fall color cultivars. One has very narrow
and wavy leaf lobes giving the tree a delicate appearance. This one is
called ‘Skinny Dragon’. The second tree produces a high percentage
of beautifully shaped leaves with backward angled basal lobes and teeth
on all the lobes, which is known as ‘Golden Dragon’. All Shantung
maples have polymorphic leaves in varying percentages. These two are not
any better or worse for fall color its just the beautiful leaf that is
desired. There are also several other interesting leaves that I have
found including one that has deeply cut lobes with side lobes that curl
downward, (see photo). My seeds produce leaves that are similar in shape
to ‘Golden Dragon’ about 30 percent of the time. Hopefully, soon I
will find a dissected leaf. I have two new variegated seedlings under
review. One does not grow much at all and we’ll see what the other
does. Recently I grafted an Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’ onto a
Shantung rootstock to see if this tree will then grow in our area.
I’ve thought about what I could hybridize a Shantung maple with but
there aren’t many improvements needed.
Texans love fall color. Unfortunately the native trees, mostly oaks,
hackberries, cottonwoods and pecans have poor fall color. They love
Japanese maples but they must be shaded and carefully watered. Shantung
maples act like a native and turn brilliant colors every fall. I am now
planting Shantung maples all over the farm so when I retire they’ll be
ready to put on a really big show that you’ll have to see to believe. |
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