Japanese Maple Varieties: Which One to Plant

The right Japanese maple comes down to three choices: how big the space is, whether you want an upright tree or a low weeping mound, and what color you want through the summer. For a classic 15- to 20-foot red specimen tree, ‘Bloodgood’ and ‘Emperor 1’ are the reliable standards. For a cascading red mound by a path or patio, ‘Crimson Queen’, ‘Tamukeyama’ or ‘Inaba Shidare’ fit in 8 to 12 feet. For winter interest, coral bark ‘Sango-kaku’ lights up with red-orange stems. Below, the most popular varieties are compared by size, color and climate so you can match a tree to your yard.

Part of our Trees & Shrubs guide →

In this guide

1. Understanding the Main Japanese Maple Groups
2. Popular Japanese Maple Varieties Compared
3. Red Upright Varieties
4. Weeping Laceleaf Varieties
5. Green and Bark Varieties
6. Dwarf and Variegated Varieties
7. Choosing by Climate and Site
8. Common Mistakes When Choosing a Variety
9. Buying Tips
10. Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding the Main Japanese Maple Groups

Nearly all garden Japanese maples are cultivars of Acer palmatum. Nurseries sort them into a few groups, and knowing the group tells you most of what you need about shape and toughness.

• Upright palmate: leaves with 5 to 7 broad lobes, trees with a rounded or vase-shaped crown. The toughest group, more tolerant of sun and wind. Examples: ‘Bloodgood’, ‘Emperor 1’, ‘Osakazuki’.
• Laceleaf or dissectum: finely cut, feathery leaves on a weeping, mounding plant usually wider than tall. Beautiful but more prone to leaf scorch. Examples: ‘Crimson Queen’, ‘Tamukeyama’, ‘Viridis’.
• Upright laceleaf: finely cut leaves on an upright tree. ‘Seiryu’ is the best-known.
• Dwarf and shrub types: compact varieties that stay under about 6 feet for many years, suited to containers and small beds. Examples: ‘Shaina’, ‘Mikawa Yatsubusa’.
• Bark and variegated types: grown for colored stems or patterned leaves. Examples: ‘Sango-kaku’, ‘Butterfly’.

Popular Japanese Maple Varieties Compared

Sizes below are typical mature heights and widths in good garden conditions; trees in cold zones, poor soil or containers stay smaller, and mature size can take 15 to 30 years to reach.

Variety	Form	Typical size (H x W)	Spring/summer color	Fall color	Zones
Bloodgood	Upright palmate	15–20 x 15–20 ft	Deep red-purple	Crimson	5–8
Emperor 1	Upright palmate	15 x 15 ft	Dark red, holds well	Scarlet	5–8
Crimson Queen	Weeping laceleaf	8–10 x 10–12 ft	Red-purple	Scarlet	5–8
Tamukeyama	Weeping laceleaf	6–8 x 10–12 ft	Deep purple-red	Bright red	5–8
Inaba Shidare	Weeping laceleaf	6–8 x 8–10 ft	Purple-red, larger leaves	Crimson	5–8
Sango-kaku (coral bark)	Upright palmate	20–25 x 15–20 ft	Light green	Gold-yellow	5–8
Viridis	Weeping laceleaf	6–8 x 8–10 ft	Bright green	Gold to orange	5–8
Seiryu	Upright laceleaf	10–15 x 8–12 ft	Green	Gold, orange, red	5–8
Osakazuki	Upright palmate	15–20 x 15–20 ft	Green	Brilliant red	5–8
Shaina	Dwarf upright	4–6 x 3–5 ft	Bright red new growth, then maroon	Red	5–8
Butterfly	Upright, variegated	7–12 x 5–8 ft	Gray-green with cream edges	Pink to red tints	5–8

Red Upright Varieties

Bloodgood

‘Bloodgood’ is the most widely planted red Japanese maple in the US, and for good reason. It is vigorous, tolerant of a range of soils, and holds its deep burgundy color through most summers, turning crimson in fall. Red winged seeds (samaras) in summer add another layer of color. It grows into a rounded tree 15 to 20 feet tall and nearly as wide, so it needs a real spot in the yard, not a foundation bed. In full sun in hot regions the leaves can bronze toward green by late summer; a little afternoon shade keeps the color richer.

Emperor 1

‘Emperor 1’ looks similar to ‘Bloodgood’ but leafs out about two weeks later in spring, which helps it avoid damage from late frosts in areas with unpredictable springs. Many growers find it holds its dark red color better in summer heat. It is a little smaller, around 15 feet tall and wide. If you are in the Mid-Atlantic or Midwest, where an April warm spell followed by a freeze is common, this is often the better pick between the two.

Other red uprights worth knowing

‘Fireglow’ is a red upright with a reputation for good sun and heat tolerance and a slightly smaller size than ‘Bloodgood’. ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel’ is a narrow, columnar red maple, often around 12 to 15 feet tall but only 5 to 6 feet wide, useful beside a house or in a tight side yard.

Weeping Laceleaf Varieties

Crimson Queen

‘Crimson Queen’ is the best-selling red laceleaf, with finely dissected red-purple leaves cascading from a mounded frame. It usually reaches 8 to 10 feet tall and somewhat wider over many years, although it grows slowly enough to stay compact for a long time. It is a favorite beside water features, at the edge of a patio, or in large containers. Plant it where you can see the branch structure in winter; the twisting framework is part of its appeal.

Tamukeyama

‘Tamukeyama’ is an older Japanese cultivar with very dark purple-red laceleaf foliage that holds its color in heat better than most dissectums. That makes it a top choice for the South and for sunnier spots. It forms a wide mound, roughly 6 to 8 feet tall and up to 12 feet across with age.

Inaba Shidare and Viridis

‘Inaba Shidare’ has slightly larger, bolder cut leaves than ‘Crimson Queen’ and is also known for good color retention. ‘Viridis’ is the classic green laceleaf: bright green feathery leaves all summer, turning gold to orange in fall. Green laceleafs are a good choice where a red maple would disappear against a dark house or fence.

Green and Bark Varieties

Sango-kaku (coral bark maple)

‘Sango-kaku’ is grown for its young stems, which turn coral red to salmon pink in fall and winter, brightest in cold weather. Spring leaves are light green edged in red, summer foliage is soft green, and fall color is buttery yellow. It is one of the taller Japanese maples, often 20 to 25 feet, with an upright, vase-like shape. Plant it where you will see it from a window in winter, ideally against an evergreen or dark background.

Osakazuki and Seiryu

‘Osakazuki’ is a green upright palmate maple with one of the most intense fall colors of any variety, a vivid red. ‘Seiryu’ combines laceleaf foliage with an upright habit, reaching 10 to 15 feet, and is generally more sun-tolerant than weeping laceleafs. Its fall color mixes gold, orange and red.

Dwarf and Variegated Varieties

For patios, small gardens and containers, dwarf varieties keep proportion for decades. ‘Shaina’ forms a dense, upright bush with bright red new growth and stays around 4 to 6 feet. ‘Mikawa Yatsubusa’ is a slow, layered green dwarf prized by bonsai and container growers. ‘Butterfly’ has small gray-green leaves edged in cream and pink, on an upright plant usually under 12 feet; variegated leaves burn easily, so give it shade in the afternoon.

Choosing by Climate and Site

• Cold zone 5 and windy sites: choose upright palmate varieties such as ‘Bloodgood’, ‘Emperor 1’ or ‘Osakazuki’, which have sturdier wood. Plant in a sheltered spot away from winter wind, and favor late-leafing types where spring frosts are common.
• Hot zones 7b to 9: plant where the tree gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Favor heat-tolerant reds such as ‘Tamukeyama’, ‘Emperor 1’ and ‘Bloodgood’. Laceleafs need dependable moisture and shade from the afternoon sun.
• Small yards: laceleafs and dwarfs fit near the house; upright types need at least 10 feet from walls and roofs.
• Containers: dwarfs and laceleafs adapt best. Use a pot at least 18 to 24 inches wide, and protect roots from hard freezes in zones 5 and 6.
• Specimen in a lawn: ‘Bloodgood’ or ‘Sango-kaku’ give the most impact from a distance.

Whatever you choose, Japanese maples want well-drained, slightly acidic soil and steady moisture, and they dislike being planted too deep. Our step-by-step guide on how to grow a Japanese maple covers siting, planting and watering, and our guide on pruning a Japanese maple explains how to thin weeping and upright forms without spoiling their shape. For more specimen and screening trees, browse our trees and shrubs hub.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Variety

• Planting for the size on the tag today. A 4-foot ‘Bloodgood’ in a 5-gallon pot can become a 20-foot tree. Measure the space against the mature width, and keep upright types far enough from walkways that you will not be cutting back the canopy every year.
• Putting a laceleaf in a hot, open spot. Finely cut leaves dry out fast. In full afternoon sun and wind, they crisp at the tips by midsummer, even when watered.
• Ignoring drainage. No variety tolerates waterlogged clay for long. If water stands in the planting hole for more than a day, plant on a low mound or choose a different site.
• Hiding the tree. Fine-textured weeping maples get lost behind larger shrubs. Give them a clear foreground and a plain backdrop, such as a fence, evergreen hedge or the house wall, so the form reads clearly in every season.
• Choosing only for spring color. Think about all four seasons: fall color, winter bark and branch structure vary as much between varieties as summer leaf color does.

Buying Tips

• Check the graft. Most named varieties are grafted onto seedling rootstock. Look for a clean, healed union and remove any shoots that sprout below it, which will have different leaves.
• Look at the roots. Avoid trees with roots circling tightly around the pot; they may girdle the trunk years later.
• Buy in fall or early spring. Planting in these cooler seasons gives roots time to establish before summer heat.
• Be wary of seedlings sold as named varieties. A tree labeled only “red Japanese maple” may be an unnamed seedling whose color and size are unpredictable; that can be fine if the price reflects it.