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How to Identify Types of Japanese Maples
How to Identify Types of Japanese Maples. Their small stature and vibrant colors make Japanese maples a popular tree in gardens around the world. Leaf colors range from yellow-green to burgundy in Japan's 23 native species of Acer palmatum. Also known as Smooth Japanese maple for the texture of its bark, Acer palmatum includes the dark, red-leaved...
Their small stature and vibrant colors make Japanese maples a popular tree in gardens around the world. Leaf colors range from yellow-green to burgundy in Japan's 23 native species of Acer palmatum. Also known as Smooth Japanese maple for the texture of its bark, Acer palmatum includes the dark, red-leaved Atropurpureum and Bloodgood varieties, as well as the small, almost feathery foliaged Dissectum, Filigree and Laceleaf. Japanese maples flower in early to mid-spring and produce fruit in early to mid-autumn. Botanists distinguish three subspecies of Acer palmatum---palmatum, amoenum and matsumurae---most easily distinguished by leaf characteristics.
Examine the Leaves
Count the lobes. The palmatum subspecies has five to seven lobes. Amoenum has seven. Matsumurae has seven to nine.
Look and feel the edges, or margins, of the leaf. Matsumurae and Palmatum leaves are coarse and jagged, while the edge of Amoenum leaves have finer teeth.
Examine the division of the leaf's lobes. If they cut right down to the leaf base, it is most likely a Matsumurae subspecies. Palmatum lobes cut about halfway down to the base, while Amoenum cut a bit further down.
Tips & Warnings
The subspecies Palmatum grow in moist areas of Japan and in southwestern Korea, up to 3,630 feet in elevation. Amoenum grow in the understory of Japan and along the southwestern coasts of Korea and China. In Japan's mountain forests, Matsumurae thrive in elevations of up to 4,300 feet.
