Acer palmatum

Acer palmatum is a deciduous tree that grows to about ten to twenty-five feet tall and wide. It is hardy in USDA Zones 5 - 8. It may be planted in full sun or part shade.

It is grown for its attractive leaf form, as well as its habit. It is a good plant for understory plantings.

There are numerous cultivars of Acer palmatum that express a number of different traits including leaf form, fall color, and overall habit. Cultivars typically fall into one of seven groups, based primarily on division of the leaf lobes, but also to a lesser extent, on the ultimate height of the plant. The groups are best described, and have been quoted from the fourth edition of Japanese Maples: The Complete Guide to Selection and Cultivation by J.D. Vertrees and Peter Gregory. They are described verbatim below:

Amoemum Group
Leaf lobes shallowly to moderately divided, usually up to two thirds of the way to the leaf base.

Palmatum Group
Leaf lobes moderately to deeply divided two thirds to three quarters of the way to the leaf base and, in some cases, almost to the base.

Mastumurae Group
Leaf lobes mostly very deeply divided more than three quarters of the way to the leaf base.

Linearilobum Group
Leaf lobes narrow, straplike, divided to the leaf base.

Dissectum Group
Leaf lobes very deeply divided and deeply dissected into sublobes.

Dwarf Group
Cultivars whose mature height does not usually exceed 2m (6 ft.).

Other Group
Cultivars that cannot be placed in any of the above groups.