Fullmoon Maple

A deciduous small tree or large shrub from the mountain forests of Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan, reaching 30 to 40 feet with a spreading form. Leaves are roundish, 8 to 15 cm wide, with 7 to 9 (sometimes 11) lobes each cut to about halfway, margins serrate, downy with white hairs when young. Flowers appear before the leaves in large drooping clusters, purplish-red, showier than most maple flowers. Samaras hang in clusters below the leaves, wings about 3 cm long. Bark is smooth on young trees, rough and scaly with age. Fall color is exceptional: crimson, gold, orange, red, scarlet, and yellow.

Hardy to Zone 6a. Full sun to full shade, a rare flexibility for an ornamental tree of this caliber. Prefers cool summer conditions with dappled shade; leaves may scorch in full sun during hot summers. Protect from strong winds. Low maintenance. One cultivar dominates the trade: 'Aconitifolium' (fernleaf fullmoon maple), 8 to 10 feet, with 9 to 11 deeply dissected lobes giving a fern-like appearance, crimson fall color. Nineteen diseases and fifteen pests documented; Verticillium wilt is the primary existential risk.