Well you get the prize for the oddest post for the year... sorry could'ny resist..my sarcasim took over;>)....You'd best ask who you bought it from because with that minute amount of sales pitch info no one here could tell ya...There are pronably 200-300 red JM varieties( plus hundreds of partial red ,green etc) and I'd bet there are thousands maybe millions of answers on that question and I truly doubt anyone has done a pole of JM lovers to see and that wouldn't tell ya much cause most only have a few varieties or maybe one common one...and alot of it depends on where it will be planted as far location in country and location in your enviomen... and then what do they mean by best ... most newbies think all jm's are red japanese maples so it could pretain to hardiness shape or whatever... Anyway I shouldn't say more you might think I'm picking on ya and not want to post again but really I am speaking more to the bogus sales pitch...which really wasn't your questiobn SORRY the anwer is in the first part of this diatribe ...call the seller ...and let us know what they( experts at bogus sales pitches) said ;>) David

Not in Japanese Maples. Possibly a local selection. Name probably doesn't conform to nomenclatural code, if selection becomes widely known somebody interested in such things will likely point out name is not kosher, perhaps resulting in a new one being coined.

I guess BB read your post a bit differntly than I ...he and you seem to think that the cultivar name is "best red"...well maybe or maybe you misread it whatever BB is correct the name doesn't conform to custom or form and still sounds like an advertizing ploy. There are literally hundreds of home made "named" cultivars put out each year by yahoos and most of those cultivars are not vetted for any special or unique qualities..it may be one of them...heck I could just choose a seedling i liked and call it "Gods chosen red maple" as I said sounds like a crock but then maybe in 10 years we all will be clamering for one of the "best red's" even though whoever named it ( if that is the case i am NOT sold) knows VERY little about JM's to name it such and is definitly NOT an JM officianado or expert in any way!!!! David

Hmmm. . .interesting conversation. Lets all keep in mind that we are talking about a tree here and not armageddon.
Talked to the nursery more about it and getting the botanical name for it soon. It appears that it might be a hybrid of the Bloodgood variety. As soon as I get the name and a little more information on it I will post it here for you all. Appreciate the help and the conversation.

Hi Musgrove,

Check at the base of the tree and see if it is a grafted tree or not. If there is no graft union it is likely a 'Bloodgood' seedling. The main issue with bloodgood seedlings are their variability in color. David

I've never heard of it as a cultivar either, but as David was saying people are constantly producing new ones (even if the tree does not necessarily portray 'superior' qualities). However, I'd check the base of the tree for a graft too and contact the seller to get the scoop.

Sounds like someone grew some 'Bloodgood' seedlings and picked one out as having good color. If you are in contact with originator they are your best bet for information, if forthcoming.

How could anyone determine merely from the name (and apparently an invalid one at that) that this is a 'Bloodgood' seedling? My first response was that it was some sort of red dissectum. Barring a photo or any further explanation of the tree's appearance, I think the point is moot! I too would confirm with the seller what exactly is the provenance of this particular selection - perhaps that will be enough to determine a more correct appellation. Or if just a generic red leaf seedling, grow and enjoy. Other than some unknowns regarding its ultimate size and habit, the care needed will be no different from that of any other red leaved JM.

Hi Gardengal48,

Bloodgood has been around for a long time and produces nice red seedlings. For this reason if you had to take a shot at what a non grafted red japanese maple might be, a 'Bloodgood' seedling would give you the best chance of being right. David

Sorry picea, but I am not buying that argument. Unless grown in isolation, Bloodgood is just as likely to produce nonred seedlings or certainly something other than "best red" seedlings as it is to produce red ones. And it could just as likely be a seedling of forma 'Atropurpureum', 'Oshio Beni' or 'Shindeshojo', all of which have been around as long, if not longer, than Bloodgood. Or a seedling of dissectum 'Rubrifolium', 'Garnet', 'Crimson Queen' or any of several dozen other red leaved selections. There is simply no way anyone here can say with any certainty what is the source/parentage of this mystery maple if it is indeed a seedling, particularly so since we have received no information on the form, shape or size of the tree or its foliage. We don't even know if it's an upright or cascading form.

>How could anyone determine merely from the name (and apparently an invalid one at that) that this is a 'Bloodgood' seedling?>Talked to the nursery more about it and getting the botanical name for it soon. It appears that it might be a hybrid of the Bloodgood variety.

Just a side note since this is really a waist of time with such limited info...but Bboys use of the term "hybrid" is suspect since there is some ( alot) of suspicion in the JM community if JM's are being hybredized since so much isolation and and difficulies exist to do so...and whether ANY alledged hybred cultivars are truly such or just selected seedlings ... I personally am suspicious since the trouble to do so and the ease of it being propagated by others soon negating any possible economic gain for the the originator for all of the work involved gives me pause...David

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