Japanese maple is the common name for Acer palmatum. This is a commonly grown plant in Japan, China, and Korea.
Acer palmatum is a deciduous shrub or small tree that grows to mature widths of 4.5 to 10 m (15 to 33 ft), heights of 6 to 10 m (20 to 33 ft), and rarely 16 m (52 ft). It frequently grows as an understory plant in shady woodlands.
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Cultivation and uses
Japanese maple grows well in temperate regions and is mostly cultivated in the springs because Acer palmatum is known to do well in the springs than in summer. Japanese horticulturists have developed maple cultivars over the years.
Some of Acer palmatum can be seen in most ancient drawings as art subjects. Branches and leaves from Japanese maple are also used in making traditional medicines in China.
Growing conditions
Japanese maple is a water-loving plant that will dry and die in droughts. They love shades, and in hot places, you see them survive; they mostly grow under rocks or heavy shades. The best time to grow new Japanese maple cuttings is in the spring, and you do not need a lot of fertilizer to grow new cuttings.
Pruning
Cultivating a Japanese maple does not need timely pruning. They drop off old leaves for new ones to sprout. It is very common to see a lot of dead leaves under a maple plant. Dead leaves from the plants help in mulching, which helps the plant retain moisture to survive.
Cultivars
Horticulturists in Japan spent a lot of years developing cultivars. There are over 1000 cultivars of Japanese maple. Below are the popular ones you can find around.
Popular cultivars
| Japanese maple cultivar | Cultivar description |
|---|---|
| Aka shigitatsu sawa | pinkish-white leaves with green veins |
| Ao ba jo | dwarf with bronze-green summer foliage |
| Atropurpureum | wine-red, including new branches |
| Butterfly | Small upright tree form for shade, slow growing, small palmate leaves variegated with white borders and a bluish-green tint, pink hues show up during spring and fall. |
| Golden Pond | greenish-yellow summer foliage |
| Higasa yama | crinkled leaves variegated with yellow |
| Hogyuko | rich green leaves, turning orange in autumn |
| Hupp’s Dwarf | a small, dense shrub with miniature leaves |
| Koto no ito | light green, thread-like leaves |
| Orangeola | An excellent cultivar of the weeping shrub form, prized for its dynamic color, which changes constantly throughout the season |
| Tsuma gaki | yellow leaves with reddish-purple borders |
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