How can one plant be all of these things? Through selection and breeding this incredibly variable species has been selected for all these different attributes.
A wardrobe of choices
Acer palmatum is native to Japan and South Korea, giving it the common name of Japanese maple.
Over 1000 selections (cultivars) have been made, ranging from small neat rounded trees reaching less than 1m to forest trees of 10m or more.
Acer palmatum var. dissectum is a weeping maple with deeply cut foliage in shades of red or green, only reaching 1m tall in 10 years.
Most selections are made for their leaf colour, ranging from yellows, reds and purples to variegations of white, pink and red.
Acer palmatum 'Butterfly' has small variegated white and green leaves forming a goblet-shaped tree of 2m height in 10 years.
Some have even been selected for their bark colours or textures, from coarse craggy bark to bright coral red-coloured bark.
Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku' turns from green to clear yellow in the autumn before the leaves drop, revealing a wonderful red bark which shines all winter.
Acer palmatum will grow in any situation if given plenty of summer moisture but not waterlogged in winter.
The ideal situation is a sheltered, semi-shaded spot in an organic soil, but if this is not available, then the more exposed and windy the site the more water the plant will need in summer.
If no garden space is available then all Japanese maples are easily grown in containers.
The key to successful container growing is to take the plant slowly up in pot sizes just a few centimetres each year and keep well watered during the growing season.
Acer palmatum and its cultivars can be seen throughout Dunedin Botanic Garden, particularly in the azalea garden.
- Dylan Norfield
Dylan Norfield is the geographic and arboretum collection curator at Dunedin Botanic Garden.
