Tree · Sapindaceae Draft — unreviewed
Japanese maple
Acer palmatum Thunb.
Refined small tree with lobed leaves and layered branching; hundreds of cultivars range from dwarf weeping forms to small upright trees, in green, red and variegated leaf.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 4–8 m (13–26 ft) tall and 4–8 m (13–26 ft) wide; slow growth, about 35 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #15 install size.
Design notes
- Afternoon shade prevents leaf scorch in hot regions; it struggles in low-desert heat.
- Cultivar size varies tenfold — always record the cultivar.
- Seeds into woodlands in parts of the Northeast; prefer non-fruiting or dwarf forms near natural areas.
Regions
Native range: Japan, Korea and China.
Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Red maple
Acer rubrum · Tree · 12–18 m (39–59 ft)
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum · Tree · 15–22 m (49–72 ft)
Norway maple
Acer platanoides · Tree · 12–15 m (39–49 ft)
Downy serviceberry
Amelanchier arborea · Tree · 5–8 m (16–26 ft)
River birch
Betula nigra · Tree · 12–18 m (39–59 ft)
American hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana · Tree · 6–9 m (20–30 ft)
Plan with Japanese maple
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.