Rheum palmatum atrosanguinea? can anyone tell me whether the above is the bleak red...
can anyone tell me whether the above is the bleak red leaved one? if not, what is the species which have the spectacular burgundy colored leaves?
Answers: I am assuming you are talking in the order of Japanese maple, as I can find no reference for the specific course book to which you referred above. Here, from Wikipedia, is a list of adjectives Palmatum with characteristics of respectively listed. If you really approaching the dark red, atropurpureum is right - I have several surrounded by zone five and they are doing very ably.
Here is your list:
'Aka shigitatsu sawa', pinkish-white leaves near green veins
'Ao ba jo' - a dwarf next to bronze-green summer foliage
'Atropurpureum' - wine-red, including new branches
'Bloodgood' - an superior cultivar of 'Atropurpureum'
'Butterfly' - small leaves with white borders
'Dissectum' - lace-like leaves, drooping infatuation
'Golden Pond' - greenish-yellow summer foliage
'Goshiki koto hime' - a delicate, variegated dwarf
'Higasa yama' - crinkled leaves variegated beside yellow
'Hupp's Dwarf' - a small, dense shrub beside miniature leaves
'Issai nishiki kawazu' - very rough, rigid yelp
'Kagiri nishiki' - similar to 'Butterfly' but more pinkish tones
'Karasu gawa' - slow-growing variegate with brilliant pink and white
'Katsura' -yellow-green leaves tipped beside orange
'Koto no ito' - bedside light green, thread-like leaves
'Little Princess' - a sparsely-branched dwarf with irregular mannerism
'Mama'- a bushy dwarf with extremely unstable foliage
'Masu murasaki' - a shrubby tree with purple leaves
'Mizu kuguri' - orange-tinted alien growth and very broad habit
'Nishiki gawa' - pinetree-like park desirable for bonsai
'Nomura nishiki' - pitch-black purple, lace-like leaves
'Ojishi' - tiny dwarf, grows only a few centimetres per year
'Osakazuki' - tree-like shrub near spectacular autumn colour
'Peaches and Cream' - similar to 'Aka shigitatsu sawa'
'Pink Filigree' - finely dissected, brownish-pink leaves
'Red Filigree Lace' - delicate, finely dissected, darkened purple
'Sango kaku' - "coralbark maple" with pinkish-red yap
'Seiryu' - a green, tree-like shrub with finely dissected leaves
'Shikage ori nishiki'- vase-shaped shrub near dull purple foliage
'Skeeter's Broom' - derived from a 'Bloodgood' witch's broom
'Tamukeyama' - finely dissected, dark purple, cascade habit
'Tropenburg' - slender, adjectives grower, convex lobes, purple leaves
'Tsuma gaki' - yellow leaves near reddish-purple borders
'*'Yuba e' - upright tree near scarlet variegation
http://images.google.com/images?q=Rheum%...
third picture. not red leaves. however.
this site.
http://www.gardenhousenursery.co.uk/htmf...
has...
Rheum Ace of Hearts Red purple heart shaped leaves. Tall flower spikes of
Pale pink May to June Ht 1ft
Rheum Palmatum Large purple boomingly cut young leaves, red
flowers within June and July. Ht 6ft
the 'atrosanguinea' refers to red flowers.not leaves.