The Japanese maple has been found more and more frequently in German gardens for several years. This is not only due to its extremely filigree foliage, which comes up with an impressive blaze of color in autumn, but also to its rather low stature. In this profile, we present the beautiful exotic species in more detail.

The Japanese maple can grow up to 10 meters tall

The Japanese maple at a glance

  • Botanical name: Acer japonicum
  • Genus: Maples (Acer)
  • Family: Soapberry family (Sapindaceae)
  • Popular names: Thunberg's fan maple
  • Origin and distribution: Japan (primarily Hokkaido and Honshu) and the eastern Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Liaoning
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Growth form: Shrub or small tree
  • Growth height: up to 10 meters, but usually much smaller
  • Flowering and flowering period: purple flowers between April and May / May and June
  • Foliage: Seven to nine lobes, mostly green
  • Autumn colour: very intense red to orange-red
  • Propagation: cuttings
  • Hardiness: most varieties are very hardy
  • Toxicity: no
  • Use: as an ornamental plant in the garden or in a container
  • Similar species: Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), golden maple (Acer shirasawanum)

Varied Japanese maples

The Japanese maple (Acer japonicum) originally comes from the mountain forests of the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, where it can grow to a height of up to ten meters and a crown width of between five and six meters when it is old. With us, however, the rather slow-growing tree remains significantly smaller. The aconite-leaved Japanese maple ('Aconitifolium') and the vine-leaved Japanese maple ('Vitifolium') are the most commercially available. In addition, various species that are not identical to Acer japonicum, but are very closely related, are summarized under the name "Japanese maple" or "Japan maple". These include above all the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) and the golden maple (Acer shirasawanum).

Japanese maples impress with their blaze of colour

All Japanese maples are very suitable for small gardens due to their rather slow growth and can also be cultivated in sufficiently large pots without much effort. Furthermore, the filigree leaves come up with an impressive autumn colour, which - depending on the variety and location - can be orange or yellow-red to bright scarlet. Some Japanese maples also show a pretty red color during the spring shoot, while the summer foliage is mostly fresh green.

tips

The sunnier and more sheltered the location, the more intense the autumn color will be. However, this rule of thumb cannot be applied to all Japanese maples, because some types and varieties do not tolerate direct and intensive sunlight.

Category:

Trees