| General Description | Upright and round in shape. Purple-red leaf colour with each leaf having long, narrow lobes with acute apices. |
| ID Characteristic | The leaves appear thick and smooth and have an appearance and shape that resembles bamboo. The Foliage has a very unique colour from spring through autumn. |
| Shape | Forms a strong, upright tree with a rounded canopy. |
| Landscape | The dark purple-red foliage is attractive in the spring with the red colour persisting through the summer and changing to a breathtaking crimson in autumn. It may be used as an accent/specimen tree or as screening/hedging. |
| Propagation | Japanese Maples are easily propagated by seed but cultivars are almost always propagated by grafting. Successful methods of grafting include T-budding, patch budding and chip budding and can begin in late July and continue to March on A. palmatum understock. |
| Cultivation | It performs best in full sun to partial shade and prefers above average soil moisture that cannot be allowed to dry out. Partial to neutral soil with a pH of 4-7.5 l is optimal. It is pollution tolerant to a degree but would benefit from a location that is somewhat shielded from harsh elements (especially for winter survival). A layer of thick mulch around the root zone is recommended for the winter months. |
| Pests | This species and cultivar is susceptible to verticillium wilt, mites, aphids and stem canker. |
| Notable Specimens | The Royal Botanical Gardens (rock garden), Burlington, Ontario, Canada. |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description | The bark is grey in colour, smooth with vertical white striations. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | The buds are either green or red with a collar of leaf scars. |
| Leaf Description | The leaves usually have seven lobes but occasionally five and are fairly large in size while being quite broad. The leaves are 10-13 cm wide and 9-11 cm long with each lobe being long and narrow with an acute apex. The margins are sharply but finely serrated. |
| Flower Description | The flowers of most of the palmatum species are red |
| Fruit Description | The samara is red in colour. |
| Colour Description | The foliage is deep purple-red in spring persisting red colour throughout the summer and then changing to crimson in the autumn. |
| Texture Description | A fine to medium textured plant both in and out of leaf. |
