Can maples have thorns?

[justBonsai]

I recently purchased a tree which I believe to me an amur maple. The leaf structure and fall coloration matches that of an amur, but there are small slender thorns on some of the branches. Can amur maples have thorns or is this just a different tree? I'll post pictures when I can.

Thanks,
Julian

 

[ghulst]

Could it be a Hawthorne ?

 

[aml1014]

Could it be a Hawthorne ?

This is what I would expect, maples don't have thorns.

 

[justBonsai]

Could it be a Hawthorne ?

Hmm you guys are probably right then. It was placed next to a bunch of other maples and didn't notice the thorns until I got home. In any case still should be a fun tree to work with.

**Could this be a hawthorn maple? "acer crataegifolium"

 

[Cotyledon]

You didn't notice those thorns?

 

[justBonsai]

After a bit more research this is likely to be acer crataegifolium. I haven't seen these before--anyone have information regarding these as bonsai?

 

[JohnDoses]

I think you will start to notice the thorns a little more when you start work on the tree Graham Potter has a video with a Hawthorn and he cuts off each one before doing any work.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

It is a hawthorn of some kind, and not a maple of any kind.
Now, let's see the trunk.

 

[justBonsai]

It is a hawthorn of some kind, and not a maple of any kind.
Now, let's see the trunk.

These are the best shots I can manage at night. The trunk is about 1 inch thick and is slightly curved. The nebari isn't bad and most of the roots are currently covered. From what I understand hawthorns take awhile to trunk up. Should I just plant this tree in the ground for 3-5 years or so?

 

[justBonsai]

Yeah I was saying some nonsense earlier. This is most definitely not any kind of maple--possibly a washington hawthorn.

 

[JudyB]

Yes hawthorn are slow in pot culture comparatively, and can sulk for a couple of years after heavy footwork. They also don't like to be over potted, but ground growing is probably a good idea if you want more trunk.