Acer carpinifolium - Maple

Acer carpinifolium is a Japanese species whose foliage closely resembles that of the hornbeam. It forms a large bush or small tree with a fairly short trunk, densely branched, giving it a rounded fan-shaped silhouette. It is particularly decorative when isolated. Its beautiful lanceolate light green then dark green foliage, is toothed and strongly pleated. It takes on shades of golden yellow and light coppery red while remaining attached to the tree until spring! Its modest growth allows it to be used to enhance small spaces. Perfectly hardy and low maintenance, it thrives in full sun or partial shade, in cool, rich, and well-drained soil.

Native to Japan, Acer carpinifolium is a tall shrub or small tree that grows in cool forests and woodland edges up to high mountains. The hornbeam-leaved maple belongs to the Sapindaceae family. It is extremely hardy but dislikes excessively dry and chalky soils.

Slow-growing, Acer carpinifolium takes on an elegant fan-shaped habit over time, reaching about 7 m (23 ft) in height and 3.5 m (11.5 ft) in spread. This small tree has dark grey-brown bark on young branches and develops dense marcescent foliage that is almost identical to that of the hornbeam. Carried on short petioles, its small oblong to lanceolate leaves are strongly pleated along the veins and have toothed margins. Tender green in spring, they darken in summer. In autumn, multiple colours are present simultaneously on the foliage: golden yellow, light coppery red. Marcescent, its autumn foliage remains attached to the tree for a long time and will only fall when the new leaf buds emerge. The insignificant but charming flowering takes place in April-May. The greenish yellow flowers are grouped in short, pendulous clusters and sometimes produce winged fruits, called samaras, 3 cm (1.2 in) long. It is a very robust small tree that mainly fears dry soils.

The compact, charming, and architectural hornbeam-leaved maple deserves a prominent place at the entrance of the garden, along a path, or at the edge of a terrace. It fits very well in small gardens with a country or cottage style, or even in contemporary gardens requiring little care. To accompany it, one can choose from other ericaceous shrubs such as Japanese maples, perennials like ferns, azaleas, heathers, or dark-leaved heucheras.

Tips: The resemblance between Acer carpinifolium when young and common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is such that it is very difficult for a non-expert to recognise them. To distinguish the two species, simply observe the arrangement of their leaves on the branches. On Acer carpinifolium, the leaves are arranged in an opposite manner, while on the common hornbeam, they are alternate.