Fullmoon Maple

Fullmoon maple is the Japanese maple's quieter, larger cousin, and most people who have one in their yard do not realize it is a different species. Native to the mountain forests of Honshu and Hokkaido, it grows to thirty or forty feet, taller than most Acer palmatum cultivars, with nearly circular leaves that have nine to thirteen pointed lobes radiating from the center like the rays of a full moon. The flowers appear before the leaves in April, drooping in purplish-red clusters that are showier than most maple flowers and worth walking up to examine. But the real event is fall: fullmoon maple delivers a color range from gold through orange to crimson and scarlet that rivals anything in the genus.

Fullmoon maple does well in Western Washington's maritime climate. It takes full sun to full shade, which gives you design flexibility that few trees of this size offer. The cultivar 'Aconitifolium', fernleaf fullmoon maple, is the one you will most commonly find in nurseries here, selected for deeply dissected leaves that add fine texture to the canopy and intensified fall color. The genus-level disease and pest profile applies: Verticillium wilt is the primary existential risk, and powdery mildew, anthracnose, and leaf spot show up cosmetically in wet springs. Site it where it gets morning light and afternoon protection from our occasional July heat spikes, and it will reward you with one of the finest fall color displays available in the region.