In their natural habitat, they grow in the understory most cultivars prefer part shade, especially in hotter climates, but they will also grow in heavy shade. Growing conditions This mature specimen displays the characteristic dome-like canopy. Preparations from the branches and leaves are used as a treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. Heights of mature specimens range from 0.5 to 25 m (1 1⁄ 2 to 82 ft), depending on type. Īcer palmatum includes thousands of named cultivars with a variety of forms, colors, leaf types, sizes, and preferred growing conditions. Numerous cultivars are popular in Europe and North America, with red-leafed favored, followed by cascading green shrubs with deeply dissected leaves. They are a popular choice for bonsai enthusiasts and have long been a subject in art.

Japanese horticulturalists have long developed cultivars from maples found in Japan and nearby Korea and China. He gave it the species name palmatum after the hand-like shape of its leaves, similar to the centuries-old Japanese names kaede and momiji, references to the 'hands' of frogs and babies, respectively. When Swedish doctor-botanist Carl Peter Thunberg traveled in Japan late in the eighteenth century, he produced drawings of a small tree that would eventually become synonymous with the high art of oriental gardens. The first specimen of the tree reached Britain in 1821. Higher altitudes throughout Japan.Ĭultivation and uses Shimogamo-jinja Nison-inĪcer palmatum has been cultivated in Japan for centuries and in temperate areas around the world since the 1800s. Leaves larger, 6–12 cm ( 2 + 1⁄ 4– 4 + 3⁄ 4 in) wide, with seven (rarely five or nine) lobes and double-serrate margins seed wings 15–25 mm ( 5⁄ 8–1 in). Higher altitudes throughout Japan and South Korea. Leaves larger, 6–12 cm ( 2 + 1⁄ 4– 4 + 3⁄ 4 in) wide, with seven or nine lobes and single-serrate margins seed wings 20–25 mm ( 3⁄ 4–1 in). Lower altitudes throughout central and southern Japan (not Hokkaido). Leaves small, 4–7 cm ( 1 + 1⁄ 2– 2 + 3⁄ 4 in) wide, with five or seven lobes and double-serrate margins seed wings 10–15 mm ( 3⁄ 8– 5⁄ 8 in). The overall form of the tree can vary from upright to weeping. Įven in nature, Acer palmatum displays considerable genetic variation, with seedlings from the same parent tree typically showing differences in such traits as leaf size, shape, and color. The seeds of Acer palmatum and similar species require stratification in order to germinate. The fruit is a pair of winged samaras, each samara 2–3 cm ( 3⁄ 4– 1 + 1⁄ 4 in) long with a 6–8 mm ( 1⁄ 4– 5⁄ 16 in) seed. The flowers are produced in small cymes, the individual flowers with five red or purple sepals and five whitish petals. The leaves are 4–12 cm ( 1 + 1⁄ 2– 4 + 3⁄ 4 in) long and wide, palmately lobed with five, seven, or nine acutely pointed lobes.

In habit, its canopy often takes on a dome-like form, especially when mature. It may have multiple trunks joining close to the ground. Description Īcer palmatum is deciduous, with the growth habit of a shrub or small tree reaching heights of 6 to 10 m (20 to 33 ft), rarely 16 m (52 ft), reaching a mature width of 4.5 to 10 m (15 to 33 ft), often growing as an understory plant in shady woodlands. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their large variety of attractive forms, leaf shapes, and spectacular colors.

Acer sanguineum Carrière 1867 not Spach 1834Īcer palmatum, commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji, (栴), is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia.

Acer roseomarginatum (Van Houtte) Koidz.

Maple leaf