Acer palmatum Pévé Starfish - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Pévé Starfish' (synonym 'Starfish') is a beautiful variety of Japanese maple which owes its name to the shape of its foliage, resembling a multitude of starfish in shades of red and purple. It is an elegant and slender small tree, whose colour will successively change from bright red in spring to dark purple-violet in summer and then to bright red in autumn. Similar to Acer palmatum 'Trompenburg', it may be slightly less vigorous but undoubtedly even more elegant. This variety will thrive in all exposures, except for hot and windy situations that damage its foliage.

Originally from eastern China, Korea, and Japan, Acer palmatum is the origin of a multitude of horticultural varieties that compete in beauty. Japanese palmate maple belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae family (formerly Aceraceae). It is relatively hardy, but cannot tolerate dry and cold winds, hot exposures, and dry and chalky soils.

The cultivar 'Pévé Starfish', obtained in the Netherlands, shows a rather fast growth rate for a Japanese maple. Its habit is upright, bushy, and widening towards the top. Depending on growing conditions, it will reach on average 4m (13ft) in height and 2.5m (8ft) in spread. In spring, this small tree develops reddish young branches and bright red, shiny young shoots. They unfold into finely cut palmate leaves with 9 well-separated toothed lobes, with strongly curled edges towards the reverse side. In summer, the lamina darkens to purple. Just before falling, the leaves take on a magnificent red hue. Discreet flowering takes place in May-June. The flowers, grouped in small clusters, sometimes produce fruits with curved wings, called samaras, measuring 3cm (1in) in length.

With its unique foliage and natural elegance, Acer palmatum 'Pévé Starfish' stands out from afar, in the garden or when planted in a container on a terrace. Extremely decorative from spring to autumn, it deserves a prime location. Japanese maple is not strictly speaking an acid-loving plant, but it prefers humus-rich and moist soils. Chinese azaleas, andromedas, hydrangeas, wild camellias, ferns, and heathers will be its most beautiful companions. It can form a magnificent bonsai to be grown as a flat-topped crown. Combine several varieties of Japanese maple to vary the colours and structures of the foliage; the effect is always stunning at the end of the season. Its shades of purple and red go beautifully with variegated foliage shrubs (dogwoods, mock orange, elaeagnus), or golden yellow like the Gleditsia 'Sunburst', for example.