Habitat

• native to Japan
• zone 5

Habit and Form

• small tree, 20'-30' tall
• deciduous
• mushroom-shaped, multistemmed and compact
• branches often grow low and parallel to ground
• fine-textured and elegant
• similar in form and habit to Acer palmatum

Summer Foliage

• opposite, compound leaves with three leaflets, each 2.5" to 3" long
• medium green color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow and red possible, but leaves often fall green and yellow

Flowers

• early spring
• small, yellowish, in racemes
• fragrant

Fruit

• samaras 1" long
• greenish, turning tan

Bark

• ashy-beige
• smooth

Culture

• full sun to partial shade; may function as an understory tree
• well-drained, moist, acid soil best

Landscape Uses

• specimen
• noteworthy landscape plant; rare in the landscape

Liabilities

• difficult to find in the trade
• leaf drop can occur in hot, dry sites

ID Features

• trifoliate leaves
• leaflets thin and glabrous, unlike other trifoliate maples

Propagation

• by softwood cuttings, exceptionally easy for a maple
• seed abundant, but few have embryos

Cultivars/Varieties

• none