Acer palmatum
Japanese Maple
Mature Size, Growth, Longevity
Average mature size of 15-25' tall and 15-25' wide, but to 40' tall and 50' wide in the wild. Habit is a rounded to broad-rounded character. Often has a layered branching effect. May be grown as a small tree or large shrub. Medium growth rate, 10-15' over a 10 year period. Cut-leaved varieties are typically slower. Picturesque growth habit.
Native Range
Native to Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea. Introduced to England in 1820.
Flower and Fruit Details
Flowers are small, red to purple, arching, pendulous, in May-June, emerging with new leaves of spring. Fruits are red, dry, winged, paired samaras 0.50-0.75" long, ripening September-October.
Leaf and Bark Features
Deciduous: Leaves are green in spring and summer, opposite, 2-5" long and wide, simple, palmately-veined, with pointed and often deeply-cut lobes (5-7). Young foliage is sensitive to cold. Fall color is variable: yellow, bronze, orange, purple and red. Notable Bark: Bark on young, slender stems very green to polished reddish-purple and red, older stems and trunk are gray in color.
Culture and Care
Prefers acidic, well-drained, moist, high organic matter soil, in a dappled shade location protected from strong winds and late spring frosts. Avoid hot, dry sites. Foliage may scorch in full sun. Zones 5-7(8). Few serious diseases or pests. Watch for occasional borers, scale, mites and aphids. A canker on young stems caused by Colletotrichum acutatum. Foliage may leaf out early in spring and be to damaged from late frosts. Verticillium wilt may also occur.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts
4-season interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Due to the tremendous number of cultivars, research of each cultivar is required. Cut-leaved varieties are popular. Often grown to a shrubby habit with contorted and twisted branches.
Suggested Uses
Very adaptable for various landscape uses. Typically used as a focal/specimen landscape tree, accent plant, shrub border, grouping, bonsai, Japanese gardens, or in foundation planting.
Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA
The following taxa are (or were) represented in the collections at Boone County Arboretum. Additional taxa may be available in the trade that are not included here.
Acer palmatum 'Burgundy Lace' // Burgundy Lace Japanese Maple
Tree. Usually a small tree, averaging 10-12' tall and 12-15' wide. Slow growing, 12" or less per year. Leaves are 4" long and 3.5" wide, and turn purple-bronze-green in the summer, then red in the fall. Leaf sinuses are cut very deeply, almost to the point of attachment of the blade to the petiole. Each leaf lobe is finely-serrated and cut along the margins.
BT003400 - BT003410 - BT003420Acer palmatum 'Crimson Queen' // Crimson Queen Cutleaf Japanese Maple
Tree. Dwarf, mounded, to 8-10' tall and 12' wide, with a handsome cascading / weeping habit and deeply cut leaves that emerge crimson red, green-bronze-red in summer, turning scarlet-red in the fall. Slow to moderate growing. Withstands full sun. Leaves have 7, 9 or even 11 lobes.
BT003382 - BT003384b - BT003445Acer palmatum 'Japanese Sunrise' // Japanese Sunrise Japanese Maple
Tree.
-- not currently in our collection --Acer palmatum 'Katsura Hime' // Katsura Princess (Dwarf Katsura) Japanese Maple
Tree.
BT001968Acer palmatum 'Tamukeyama' // Tamukeyama Cutleaf Japanese Maple
Tree. Mounded or dome-shaped to 6-8' tall and 8-12' wide, with cascading branches. Deeply cut and dissected purple-red leaves (to 3.75" long, 4.5" wide) with 7-9 lobes, each with a very fine, pointed tip. Good color throughout summer, turning bright scarlet-red in the fall. Leafs out later than other cultivars.
BT001829b - BT001831 - BT001832bAcer palmatum 'Tsukushigata' // Tsukushigata Japanese Maple, Chikishigata Japanese Maple, Chikushigata Japanese Maple
Tree. Forms an excellent small, 10-15' by 10-13', round-topped, spreading tree. Leaves are 7-lobed, star-shaped, 3.5" long and wide, on light, yellowish-pink petioles, 1.5" long. Foliage is dark purplish-red to blackish-red and the color holds well all season. The midvein of each lobe is green, contrasting with the dark purple background of the leaf. The leaf sinuses go about halfway to the leaf base. Fruits are chartreuse green and look quite beautiful against the backdrop of the purple foliage.
BT001573Acer palmatum 'Twombly's Red Sentinel' // Twombly's Red Sentinel Japanese Maple
Tree. Vigorous, columnar habit to 15-20' tall & 8-15' wide; great for narrow spaces. New spring foliage intense red, then burgundy/purple all summer and into late fall. Discovered by Ken Twombly of Connecticut, as a witches broom of a Bloodgood Japanese Maple. The twigs and smaller branches also offer red color through the winter.
-- not currently in our collection --