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Japanese Maple TreeJust like the name suggests, the Japanese maple tree is native to Japan. It native range does however include China and Korea too. The scientific name for this species is Acer palmatum. It should not be confused with Acer japonicum,another maple tree that is commonly referred to as Japanese Maple tree or Fullmoon Maple tree. Japanese maple tree descriptionThe Japanese maple tree grows as an understorey plant and will therefore stay comparatively small and rarely exceeds 12 metres in height.
It grows under taller trees in Japanese, Chinese and Korean forests and will therefore appreciate shade even when you plant it in your own garden. |
Japanese maple tree leaves
Japanese maple tree leaves grow up to 5-12 centimetres in size and are palmately lobed. The number of lobes can be 5 or 7. The leaves are situated opposite of each other. The Japanese maple tree is a deciduous tree, and will therefore shed its leaves every autumn. Before they leaves are shed, they will become yellow, orange and/or red. The colours tend to be very strong and vivid.
Japanese maple tree hardiness zones
The recommended USDA hardiness zones for the Japanese maple tree are 5B through 8. In southern parts of this range, warm and dry summers can scorch the leaves and cause them to loose their colour. It is very important to keep your Japanese maple tree well watered during warm and dry periods, especially if the tree is also exposed to a lot of wind. In the northernmost parts of the range, Japanese maple trees can be affected by spring frosts since they bloom early in the year. Choosing a protected spot for your Japanese maple tree is therefore recommended.
Japanese maple tree soil
Deep, fertile and well-drained soil is ideal, but the Japanese maple tree is known to adapt to other soils as well. Clay, sand and loam is usually tolerated, but letting the tree stand with its feet in water will seriously harm it. If you know that the soil does not drain well, you should therefore choose a sloping location for your Japanese maple tree. Japanese maple trees will usually adapt to slightly alkaline soils, but acidic soil is preferred. The tree is moderately tolerant to soil salt, but do no handle aerosol salt well at all.
Japanese maple tree cultivars
The Japanese maple characteristics described above regards the wild Japanese maple tree, Acer palmatum. There is a wide range of different Japanese maple tree cultivars available today since this species have been extensively cultivated in Japan and several other countries. These cultivars do not have to share the same characteristics as the wild Japanese maple; they can for instance be significantly shorter and look more like shrubs than trees. A lot of the cultivars have been developed for their leaves, and you can today select among a wide range of different leaf sizes, colours, fall colours, lobes etcetera. The "Bloodgood" Japanese maple cultivar will for instance have reddish-purple leaves during the summer and develop crimson leaves each fall.
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Copyright 2006 japanesemapletree.info. Header picture of red maple trees in fall From http://www.landscaping.about.com , taken by David Beaulieu.
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