Looks like currori, the new leaves are like lamb's ears, very furry and white with green margins. The leaves get MUCH bigger, make sure you have enough room.

Nice stocky plant. Where did you get it?

x

Dan,
I hate to be the ney-sayer...

The new foliage is definitely pubescent but it doesn't look like curroroi, there's too much red and toothed margins are sharply serrate. Young leaf margins of currori are usually green to a golden color and serrations are more rounded. Hopefully your cool temps will let it leaf out completely.

At this point your plant looks like bainesii, I hope I'm wrong...

Hey X, I got it as an import from Sheilam in South Africa. Minette insisted it was currorii and I am in no way expert enough to know the diference!!

Caudex, good eyes......the leaves are pretty toothy to be sure!! I love the pubescent leaves and if it can manage to get on our seasons and the bark gets looking nicer then I'll be happy. The tough part will be to get it to grow for awhile this winter and then go dormant and wake up again next summer......I've had lots of practice with that, but not usually on a plant this size :o) Dan

When I get home this evening I'll post a photo of young currori leaves.

Next season it should be your growing schedule, usually takes one dormancy to get things in line for me.

If you loose patients I'll gladly take off your hands ;o)

Thanks Keith.......my problem of course is getting the dormancy right as it will have to come inside in about 2-3 weeks as we will start to get quite cold at night (already many nights in the 40s). I think my patience will hold for a bit :o) Dan

Another thing to look for, a long petiole...currori has it bainesii does not.

{{gwi:645146}}

Yep, didn't notice the red - good call. Here's a pic of mine from earlier this summer, if it helps at all. Bummer if it's not currori, sellers should not be able to get away with that type of bad business.

{{gwi:645150}}

I suppose part of the problem is that if you are basing an ID off leaf margins there is likely a lot of variation across the species. If this is true then the only way to get a proper ID is with a very careful evaluation of the flowers. When it was described the leaf petioles were described as long so time will cause more confusion I'm sure.

I realize that sellers should be more truthful, but to be honest there was some skepticism from the start.....I was willing to take the risk for a plant that is quite lovely in its own right :o) Dan

currori is probably the easiest to ID from the leaf alone, as for flowers...probably not in our life time...

Whatever it turns out to be it is still a beautiful specimen!

Thanks Keith, as you know, it was the size that sold me on it....and he hoped for fuzzy leafs :o) Dan

My feeling based on not ever even seeing a currori in person is that-might be.If it was bansaii,the leaves would be all fire red,the trunk smoother and whiter,and most likely not nearly as branched. From famous photos of currori,yours looks just like it in miniature.
Just my observation.