Purpleblow Maple

Shantung maple, also sold as purpleblow maple, is the small Chinese maple that deserves more attention in the regional trade than it currently receives. Native to the deciduous oak forests of northern China and Korea, it grows slowly to twenty or thirty feet with a rounded, dense canopy and clean, five-lobed leaves that emerge with a distinctive purple tint in spring, hence the 'purpleblow' name. The bark starts purple-tinged on young stems and develops rough fissures with age. Yellow-green flowers appear in upright clusters in April, modest but serviceable. Fall color runs red and yellow, and in a good year it competes with anything in the genus for intensity.

What makes Shantung maple interesting for Western Washington is the combination of size, drought tolerance, and adaptability that the species offers once established. It takes full sun to part shade and handles the compacted, often alkaline soils of urban planting sites without complaint. At twenty to thirty feet, it fits spaces where Japanese maple is too delicate and red maple is too large. The standard maple disease and pest profile applies, so Verticillium wilt remains the non-negotiable concern, check your soil history. But for a small shade tree with genuine ornamental merit and the constitution to handle a parking strip or a front yard with builder-grade soil, Shantung maple is one of the better options that most people have never heard of.