Acer palmatum Black Lace - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Black Lace' is a new variety of Japanese maple with almost black foliage, finely divided and cut like lace! It forms a very graceful small tree with a spreading habit, suitable for small spaces and shady areas. In spring, the leaves are dark red. In summer, they darken to an almost black purple before quickly turning deep red before falling in autumn. It is a very hardy subject, ideal as a focal point in the middle of a small lawn or around a pond, in a container on a terrace, or to frame a flower bed in front of the entrance of the house.

Acer palmatum is native to eastern China, Korea, and Japan. It belongs to the Sapindaceae family. The 'Black Lace' cultivar is distinguished by lace-like foliage of almost black colour. It is a small, slow-growing, spreading tree that develops a thin and short trunk with dense and ramified branches. Eventually, it will reach a height of 3 m (9.8 ft) with a spread of about 3 m (9.8 ft), depending on growing conditions. Its deciduous foliage is composed of deeply divided palmate leaves with 7 distinct, narrow, lanceolate lobes, finely serrated and strongly toothed along the edges. The flowers, grouped in small clusters in April, are insignificant, but the fruits with curved wings are interesting from September onwards.

Acer palmatum 'Black Lace' is ideal as a focal point on a shaded lawn, or in ericaceous beds alongside azaleas, pieris, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, and heathers. It can also make a magnificent bonsai to be grown in a flat dish. Despite its delicate appearance, this small tree is robust, as evidenced by some specimens grown in large pots without much care for many years. It only requires light and well-drained soil, that is not too poor, and is preferably acidic to neutral. It requires occasional watering in dry weather. Diseases like Verticillium (caused by a fungus) are more likely to develop in constantly wet substrates than in occasionally dry ones. Note that this variety performs well in hot climates if the tree is planted away from the scorching sun and sheltered from the wind.