Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Crimson Queen’; B A. palmatum ‘Nishiki Momiji’; C A. p. ‘Beni Otake’; D A. p. ‘Butterflies’; E A. p. ‘Karasugawa’; F A. p. ‘Tsukushigata’; G A. shirasawanum ‘Aureum’; H A. palmatum var. dissectum ‘Red Filigree Lace’; I A. japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’; J A. palmatum ‘Nishiki Momiji’; K A. p. ‘Rugose’; L A. p. ‘Shishigashira’.

 

Even Americans who know little about trees can usually recognize a maple by its leaves. Canadians are more familiar with the maple leaf as the symbol on their nation’s flag, which most resembles the red maple, a wide-ranging North American species that grows from the Florida Everglades to Southern Newfoundland.

Most people are familiar with the sweet syrup made by boiling the sap of the sugar maple (A. saccharum). Actually, all maples can provide sap for syrup, but the sugar maple, which made New England famous for its magnificent autumn color, is considered best.

The sap may be sweet, but the Latin genus name Acer means sharp and refers to the points on the leaves. Species in the family Aceraceae live in most parts of the temperate world. But it is arguably the Asian varieties that attract the most gardeners.

Nearly every Japanese garden includes at least one beloved maple, and has for centuries. During the Edo period (1615–1868), some 200 named cultivars were on record. Many of those were lost by the end of World War II. Today, the number of cultivars is up again, to nearly 250.

From a handful of species, Acer palmatum, A. shirasawanum, and A. japonicum, the Japanese selected varieties with an incredible range of leaf size, shape, and color on dwarf trees barely two feet tall to full-sized varieties of more than thirty feet. Tree structures may be slender and upright, mounding, rounded, weeping, spreading, or vase shaped. The dwarfs allow people to collect Japanese maples, even in small gardens, as long as there is sun. Some will tolerate partial shade as long as there are a few hours of sunlight.

The Japanese maples bloom from late winter to spring with small red, pink, or amber flowers that are often overlooked. Leaves in summer may be green, crimson, bronze, or purple, and variegations of white, green, and pink. Leaves turn red or gold in autumn. Winter reveals the graceful branch structure, smooth bark, and colorful twigs of some cultivars.

I tend about a dozen Japanese maples on my property in New Jersey and among them is a huge A. palmatum that could be more than 130 years old. That tree leafs out earlier than most there, with brilliant ruby leaves that then turn deep purple. In autumn, the color changes again to bright red and, later than all the other trees, litters the ground with crinkly colorful leaves. Beside the little pond in my Brooklyn, New York, garden, I grow a golden full moon maple, A. shirasawanum ‘Aureum’ with very round, jagged-edged leaves. There is also an A. japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ with finely lobed leaves resembling the genus Aconitum or monkshood. In fall, it looks as if yellow and red dyes are bleeding toward the centers of its green leaves.

A mature Japanese maple.