Thankfully, people recognise this plant generically by the supposed trademark OCTOBER GLORY. Its so-called variety name is PNI0268...pretty forgettable. No wonder it's known as October Glory.

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This cultivar was introduced into the trade in 1961 by Princeton Nurseries in New Jersey. It is the second most used Red Maple cultivar after 'Red Sunset.' It seems to me that 'October Glory' tends to be more orange-red than pure red in color like the other cultivar, and 'October Glory' turns color a little bit later. This selection does well in autumn coloration even deeper in the South, into USDA Zones 7 and 8 than the other. (I do get concerned when some cultivars as this one become so popular that they are planted all over a huge range in huge numbers, thus limiting the genetic diversity. When some new problem shows up of a new pest or disease, all these trees with identical genetic inheritance, being clones, normally get decimated. One exception was the 'Princeton' American Elm that was resistant to DED, but such an occurrence is rare.)

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