Woody > Acer > Acer nipponicum > Acer nipponicum
Acer nipponicum
Nippon Maple
Origin: Native to Japan, the species was first described by Adrien Rene Franchet and Paul Amedee Ludovic Savatier as Acer parviflorum in 1877.
Mike's
Opinion
"
Acer nipponicum, a maple species, found in Japan and is called the Nippon Maple. It is affiliated with the Acer section Parviflora. Acer nipponicum is a medium-sized, upright, and deciduous tree with a wide canopy of large green coarse-textured leaves. Nippon Maple prefers sun/partial shade and well-drained soil. The tree is usually used in landscapes, such as parks and street plantings. In Autumn, the leaves change from green to golden-yellow to brown.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Sapindaceae (Aceraceae) |
| Genus |
| Acer |
| Species |
| nipponicum |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 6 - 8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 5a - 7a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H5 - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-23) - (-9) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-10) - 15 |
| Height |
| 15 - 20 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Acer nipponicum, is a fast-growing deciduous tree that has attractive flowers. This tree is known to have one of the largest leaves in the Acer family. The deep-green leaves turn a golden-yellow colour in autumn. |
| Landscape |
| Naturalization is recommended, due to its beautiful golden-yellow leaves in autumn. It is also used in landscapes as borders, hedges, windbreaks, screens, street trees and mass plantings. |
| Cultivation |
| Best grown in sandy-loam that is well-drained. |
| Shape |
| Upright with a densely-branching crown. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| Pests |
| Leaf scorch can be a problem. Light brown or dead spots between leaf veins or around the leaf margins can be found as symptoms. |
| Habitat |
| It is native to the mountain regions of Japan. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Green when immature evolving into smooth a reddish-brown colour with distinctive lenticels as it matures. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| It has 2-paired green and brown bud scales. |
| Leaf Description |
| Leaves are broad-ovate, lobed, light green colour, turning into a beautiful golden yellow colour in autumn. Leaves are up to 10 - 20 cm in length, and 15 cm in width with rusty-brown pubescence on the underside. |
| Flower Description |
| A densely packed cluster of green flowers are hanging down loosely on the tree. It is generally andromonoecious, but some trees have androecious flowers. |
| Fruit Description |
| Nutlets are globe-shaped, and fruit wings are 3 - 5 cm in length. |
| Colour Description |
| Its foliage changes colour from deep-green to golden-yellow in autumn. Leaves will wilt and drop in winter. |
| Texture Description |
| Rough texture. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire and England. |
References
Ogata, K. (1965). "A dendrological study of the Japanese Aceraceae, with special reference to the geographical distribution"(PDF). Bulletin of the Tokyo University Forests 60: 30–31, 87.
Walter Erhardt, Erich Gotz Bodeker, Siegmund Seybold: Der grobe Zander. Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2008.
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