Acer palmatum

Common name: Japanese Maple, Japan Maple, Webbed Maple, Polymorphous Maple, Dwarf Maple.

Description:

The Japanese maple is a plant of a very delicate nature, which, contrary to other maples, is bushy.

They reach a height of 3 to 8 meters and are globose with numerous slightly deciduous branches that contain very regular palmate leaves with 5, 7, 9 or 11 whole or finely cut lobes.

It has numerous varieties that vary from green to golden yellow and purple red. Its growth is quite slow, a characteristic that makes it used for growing bonsai.

This shrub widely used in gardening is remarkable for its graceful appearance, the shape of its leaves and the richness of its colors, especially in spring and again in autumn, when all its leaves turn red.

It is sensitive to cochineal, to iron deficiencies in limestone soil and to foliar burns by the sun or wind.

Crop:

They need a sandy and fresh soil, not calcareous, and, failing that, heather land; they develop better in semi-shaded locations than in full sun, since this deteriorates their leaves. Its rusticity is excellent.

It needs a lot of humidity, both in the environment and in the soil, so it needs very specific conditions, making it difficult to grow, if not given the appropriate conditions.

It does not need pruning since, being a bush, it branches from very low, so it does not have to be pruned to leave a trunk.

Multiplication:

Its multiplication is by layering or cutting if you want to maintain the characteristics of the mother plant, otherwise it can be done by seed, bearing in mind that viability is short.

Germinating satisfactorily if placed in hot water (about 43°C) and soaked for 2 days.

Applications:

It is used in gardening as an undergrowth shrub, singly or in groups. It is also grown in a pot, considerably increasing its humidity and irrigation needs.