The term “Japanese Maple” refers to any maple (genus Acer) that is native to Japan. There are 25 species of Acer that are native to Japan but only 3 that are commonly used as garden plants: A. palmatum, A. japonicum, and A. shirasawanum.
There are more than 1,000 different varieties of A. palmatum and these are the ones that are commonly referred to as garden Japanese Maples. They range from 12″ tall dwarfs to 30′ trees.
The flowers are tiny as you can see on this Red Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’)
Here are the seeds of a Red Japanese Maple. They reseed easily in the garden.
The straight species of Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) has green leaves which turn to a beautiful red or orange or yellow in the fall.
Red Japanese Maple is grafted on top of the green Acer palmatum.
Almost all varieties of Japanese Maples are grafted on Acer palmatum. The stump sprouts on the above photo below the graft are Acer palmatum. The sprouts above the graft are Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’
Red Leaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’)
If Japanese Maples are grown in a lot of sun the branches can become burned which may kill that branch.
Here are some of the 1,000 cultivars:
Red Split Leaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Crimson Queen’) This plant is about 50 years old.
Green Split Leaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’)
Acer palmatum ‘Beni Otake’
Acer shirasawanum ‘Moonrise’
The yellow fall color is where it is growing in the shade. The orange/red fall color is caused by growing in the sun.
Acer palmatum ‘Koto No Ito’
Acer palmatum ‘Bonfire‘
Acer palmatum ‘Ryusen’ Note the weeping habit.
It will continue to grow along the ground like a ground cover.
Acer palmatum ‘Nakakamdo Weeping’
This is a grafted plant taken from a 500 year old weeping Japanese maple in Japan. My plan is to have it weep over the deck railing down to the ground 10′ below.
Acer palmatum ‘Nishiki Gawa’ (Above 3 photos)
Summer
Spring
Fall
Spring
Acer palmatum ‘Geisha Gone Wild’ (Above 5 photos)
Acer palmatum ‘Mikazuki’ spring color.
Acer palmatum ‘Mikazuki’ Fall color
Acer palmatum ‘Mikazuki’ Summer color
Acer palmatum ‘Hogyoku’ fall color
Acer palmatum ‘Kandy Kitchen’
Acer palmatum ‘Fairy Hair’
Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Red Filigree’
Acer palmatum ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel’
Red Twig Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sangu Kaku’). The red twigs are only visible during the cold weather in the winter.
There are many new red twig varieties being developed including this Acer conspicuum ‘Phoenix’
Japanese Maples make some of the best fall color in the garden.