WHAT TREE??? If it was 300$ it much have been really big!!! ... if it's a named cultivar and you like that look your seeds will most likely NOT look the same even if it came from the same tree . And will take many years to grow to a nice size . You can get nice sized JM's for alot cheaper than on line or possbly at k mart walmart or another nursery.... unless you want a ten foot mature tree which again begs the question why would you want seeds ... you post does not offer enough info ..I leave it to someone else to do the seed thing but there is a method to "do" seeds ...and so far it doesn't look like you have followed it who knows whether your friend has...and as I said seeds could look like just about anything!!! David

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a Japanese maple, I would suggest going to a Lowes or Home Depot or other big box store that carries plants. Named varieties of Japanese maples will always cost more, but the ones with general "Japanese maple" labels should be less expensive. Some nurseries will also sell them. It's not hard finding a generic JM for $15-25 if you don't want to spend a lot, or you can buy named varieties from on-line nurseries for that much.

Growing JM seeds can be tricky if you don't know how. I haven't done it, but have read about it. Generally you need to keep the seeds cool (like in a refrigerator) for several months, and then sow them in damp soil and wait to see what happens. You never know what you will get. Most of the seeds probably will not germinate, and of those that do, some might be green, others red, etc.