Acer palmatum
Japanese Maple
(Aceraceae - Maple Family)
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FEATURES
- Form
- small ornamental tree
- the species form may slowly mature at 20' tall by 20' wide, but the numerous
cultivars are always much smaller
- growth habit is variable from upright rounded, horizontal-vased, or weeping pendulous, depending upon cultivar, and often becoming densely twiggy with age
- slow growth rate
- Culture
- full sun to full shade, but usually best in partial sun to partial shade
- prefers rich, moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soils, but is moderately adaptable to more adverse conditions
- propagated by cuttings grafted onto rootstock, rooted stem cuttings, or
seeds
- Maple Family, and prone to several diseases, including Verticillium Wilt (individul branches die, and eventually the whole plant may die), stem cankers (individual branches die), and pests (including cosmetic leaf damage from Japanese Beetles); also prone to seasonal leaf scorch that occurs with drought
- abundantly available, in both container and ball and burlap forms, with many cultivars
- the shallow and fibrous root system quickly regenerates and spreads upon transplanting, but is subject to drought stress, even in established trees
- sometimes prone to Winter dieback at the stem tips or frost damage in early
Spring
- Foliage
- opposite, with green, bronzed, red, or purple emergent leaves, depending
upon cultivar
- each of the 5 to 11 (often 7) lobes is narrow, serrated, and acuminate
(but not incised), with the leaf displaying prominent palmate veination
- sinuses between the lobes are narrow and often extend halfway or more to the top of the petiole
- fall color may be pale chartreuse, vivid orange, brick red, or fluorescent flaming red, depending upon cultivar and sun exposure
- Flowers
- clusters of red to purplish inflorescences in late May and early June are often hidden by the foliage
- Fruits
- two samaras per stalk having incurved wings, in pendulous clusters from the stems, often becoming red by June and July, and maturing to reddish-brown in October, but often sparsely borne or absisced by this point
- Twigs
- green, brown, red, or purplish, depending upon cultivar, with the Winter buds almost valvate
- Trunk
- the specimen may be single-trunked and branching low, grafted onto a single-trunked standard, or multi-trunked
- green bark when young for green-foliaged types, otherwise brown bark for
red-foliaged types and eventually turning to brown-gray for all types
- ID Summary
- leaves may be green or red, normal or cutleaf, where normal is about seven lobes with sinuses that are deeply cut almost to the top of the petiole, having palmate veination, and where cutleaf is repeatedly dissected, creating a lacy, ultra-fine textured appearance
- paired samaras have wings that are incurved, but often sparsely borne and not ornamental
- habit may be upright-spreading, vased, or weeping, depending upon cultivar, but usually with a slow growth rate
USAGE
- Function
- focal point, specimen, foundation, entranceway, or raised planter small
tree
- Texture
- fine texture in foliage and when bare
- thick density in foliage and when bare (except in youth, when it is much more open, or very old age, when some forms may become open again)
- Assets
- many cultivars are available that differ in foliage-color, cutleaf character, and growth habit
- layered branching and dense twigginess contribute to the ultra-fine texture with age
- generally adaptable to shady conditions or sunny locations
- usually has vibrant fall color
- Liabilities
- slow growth
- expensive (resulting from slow growth rate at the nursery, and high demand)
- occasional dieback or cosmetic damage may occur due to various pests (Japanese Beetle), diseases (Verticillium Wilt), stresses (drought), Winter freezes, or Spring frost damage
- Habitat
- zones 5 to 8
- native to the Orient
SELECTIONS
- Alternates
- specimen small trees (Acer pensylvanicum, Cornus drummondii [treeform], Crataegus viridis 'Winter King', Picea orientalis 'Skylands', Picea pungens glauca 'Fat Albert', Pinus densiflora 'Umbraculifera', Viburnum lentago [treeform], etc.)
- red-foliaged small trees or large shrubs (Malus 'Prairiefire', Malus 'Purple Prince', Prunus x cistena 'Big Cis', Prunus cerasifera 'Mount St. Helens', etc.)
- small trees or large shrubs with good fall color, ornamental branching, and relatively fine texture (Euonymus alata 'Compacta', Parrotia persica [treeform], Viburnum prunifolium [treeform], etc.)
- Variants
- many Japanese Maple cultivars have either crimson-red-purple foliage in
Spring (most turn to green-purple or bronze in Summer), or are deeply cutleaf
(dissected types), or are dwarf forms, or have a combination of these traits; some are
pendulous to cascading, and all are slow-growing and fine-textured; two representative cultivars that are common are noted below, although many more exist:
- Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' - best for holding its red-purple foliage color all Spring and Summer when placed in full sun, lightening to a vibrant red-orange in Autumn, and maturing to 15' tall by 15' wide
- Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpurem' - dissected foliage is dark red when new, fading to bronze by late Summer, having a mounding and twisting habit with
bright orange fall color, maturing at 8' tall by 10' wide
NOTES
- Translation
- Acer is the Latin name for Maple.
- palmatum refers to the palmate veination and lobes of the foliage.
- Purpose
- Japanese Maple is one of the finest exquisite small trees for texture, form, foliage, and fall color.
- Summary
- Acer palmatum is the standard amongst small ornamental trees with respect to its many attributes and cultivars, being a true investment in the landscape, especially where space is limited or a focal point is needed.
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