Acer palmatum, the Japanese palmate maple

Acer palmatum, or Palmate maple, is a type of Japanese maple that is without a doubt one of the most beautiful autumn shrubs.

Principal Palmate Maple facts

Name – Acer palmatum
Family – Sapindaceae
Type – tree

Height – 16 to 26 feet (5 to 8 meters)
Exposure – full sun, part sun
Soil – heath soil

Foliage – deciduous
Flowering – March-April

It bestows us all year long with leaves in a magnificent range of colors.

Planting palmate maple

Plant Japanese maple preferably in fall or spring.

• Although this tree accepts full sun emplacements, it fears scorching sun that would quickly make its foliage fall down.
• Also favor part sun especially during the hottest hours.

It is strongly advised to plant Japanese maple in pure heath soil, or mixed with soil mix.

• Follow our guidelines for planting heath plants

Pruning and caring for Acer palmatum

Care and location are two important criteria that will make your Japanese maple one of the most beautiful trees of your garden or terrace.

Japanese maple naturally takes on magnificent shapes, sometimes layered, weeping or natural. This differs depending on the variety.

• It isn’t really a requirement to prune.

If, however, you wish to reduce branches, do it between the months of November, after leaves have fallen, and March, before spring growth.

Like other maple species, Acer palmatum leaves might be covered in black spots.

• Simply rake up every single leaf in fall and burn them.
• This reduces the harmless but ugly infestation by about 80% every year.

Learn more about Japanese maple, Acer palmatum

Introduced in Europe in the 19^th century, this particular sub-family of Japanese maple slowly gained in recognition thanks to its delicate and colorful foliage. It usually grows much smaller than its cousin, common maple.

A magnificent tree with fiery colors, all these species of Japanese maple furnish palmate or dissected foliage that catch the eye from the end of winter up to fall.

Its red, orange or tender green hues certainly make it one of the most beautiful trees to pair with your heath plant beds.

Acer palmatum is perfectly adapted to the setting up of a Zen Garden or Japanese garden, both in the ground or in a pot.

• You can thus plant it easily together with rhododendron, camellia and hydrangea.

The most common species and varieties include: Acer palmatum ‘dissectum’, ‘Senkaki’, ‘bloodgood’, ‘atropurpureum’, ‘butterfly’ and ‘heptalobum’.