I'm not particularly familiar with this cultivar as it is relatively new, and definitely not available here in SC. However, according to Vertrees' Jap. Maples (3rd ed. by Gregory), it should turn "spectacular yellow, orange, and red colors in fall." Everything I've seen seems to say that it has some of the best fall colors available.

Keep in mind that the amount water and soil type affects the fall color. I've also noticed that some early frosts ruin the fall colors on some of my trees, since here in SC it might frost in early September but be 75 in the middle of January.

Given the description of the discrepancy between the color you are getting and the color described for this tree, I am afraid that there is a great possibility that the tree you bought is not the tree you got.

I have been buying trees for years from all kinds of suppliers, some with the very best of reputations, and more than 8 or 10 times I have gotten trees that were not what was on the label. For example, one time Musser forests, whom I think highly of, sold me English oak instead of burr oak, Forest Farm, whom I also think highly of, sold me swamp chestnut oak in place of burr oak, and a very good local nursery sold me shummard oak instead of scarlet oak. I could go on and on. Last year I was walking around looking at trees at a local nursery and found two or three that were OBVIOUSLY mislabeled--there must have been a larger number of others that I did not notice or did not have the expertise to notice were mislabeled. This is a big problem as far as my experience tells me.

I know some of these Japanese maples are very hard to distinguish based on clear physical characteristics, but perhaps there is some characteristic you can find that will distinguish what you wanted from what you got.

--Spruce