Plant Guide
Cutleaf Fullmoon Maple
Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium'
Height: 20 feet
Spread: 20 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5b
Description:
An incredible small accent tree with a very shapely and compact growth habit and finely cut leaves which turn an amazing crimson color in fall; one of the most refined and delicate ornamentals available for the home landscape
Ornamental Features
Cutleaf Fullmoon Maple is primarily valued in the landscape for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has rich green deciduous foliage. The deeply cut lobed palmate leaves turn an outstanding crimson in the fall.
Landscape Attributes
Cutleaf Fullmoon Maple is an open multi-stemmed deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.
This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Cutleaf Fullmoon Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Cutleaf Fullmoon Maple will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!
This tree should only be grown in full sunlight, although you may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.