Acer palmatum

• BOTANICAL NAME: Acer palmatum
• PRONUNCIATION: A-cer pal-MA-tum
• COMMON NAME: Japanese Maple
• FAMILY: Aceraceae
• NATIVITY: Japan
• GROWTH HABIT: Compact, rounded form with single or multistemmed trunks; 8'-35' tall varies with cultivar. Medium to fast growth in youth, slower with age.
• HARDINESS: Zones 5-8
• CULTURE: Full sun for leaf coloration of cultivars but tolerates partial shade. Moist, well-drained soil. Frost damage to new spring foliage can occur.
• LANDSCAPE USE: Focal point specimen. Architectural, sculptural trees.
• FOLIAGE: Opposite, simple, 2"-4" long; deeply lobed and sometimes seemingly palmately compound. Color varies with cultivar, green to red. Fall color can be yellow, red or purple depending on cultivar.
• BUDS: Lacking true terminal bud. Paired, valvately scaled, small buds are surrounded at the base by a row of hairs.
• BARK: Young stems variously colored, older stems light gray in color.
• FRUIT: Samara ½" - ¾" long, green or reddish in color.
• PROPAGATION: Difficult to root; cultivars are normally grafted. Relatively easy from seed.
• PESTS: None serious.
• CULTIVARS:
  • `Atropurpureum' - Leaves reddish purple but usually fade. 5-7 lobes. Fruit
  • `Bloodgood' - Holds red-purple leaf color better than most.
  • `Burgundy Lace' - Lobes finely divided lacy. Reddish purple color.
  • ++`Dissectum' - Leaves have 7-11 finely cut lobes.
  • +`Sango Kaku' - Bright-red twigs in winter.
  • `Tamukeyama'
  • `Butterfly'
  • `Seriyou'
    The list of cultivars is seemingly endless. See J.D. Vertress's Japanese Maples.
• Location