Acer palmatum Shirazz - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum Shirazz is a variety of Japanese maple that stands out for its unusual foliage, both in terms of texture and colour. Its palmate leaves are slightly crumpled, and they transition successively from purplish-red edged with fuchsia pink in spring to bronze-green edged with brown-pink in summer, before reaching a stunning autumn display of scarlet red. Not very tall and rather upright, this small tree makes a choice specimen to highlight in a small garden or in a large pot on a terrace. It doesn't like scorching sun and drought but always prefers partial shade in moist, well-drained, non-calcareous, but rather rich soil.

Acer palmatum is native to eastern China, Korea, and Japan. Like all maples, it belongs to the sapindaceae family. The cultivar 'Shirazz' is notable for its remarkably coloured foliage from spring to autumn. It is a small hardy tree of slow growth, with a graceful habit, developing a slender trunk that supports a light, fairly broad, slightly spreading branch structure. Ultimately, it will reach 3 m in height and approximately 2 m in spread in open ground, depending on the growing conditions. Its growth will be more moderate in a pot. Its deciduous foliage is composed of palmate leaves, deeply cut into 7 to 9 narrow and pointed lobes, slightly swollen, and toothed at the edges. The leaves change colour with the seasons, showcasing a magnificent red hue in autumn before falling. The flowers, grouped in small clusters in April, are insignificant, but the fruits in late summer with red recurved wings adorn the garden until they drop in autumn.

Acer palmatum 'Shirazz' can be placed as a solitary specimen on a shaded lawn, or in ericaceous soil beds, alongside azaleas, pieris, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, and azaleas. It can also form a magnificent bonsai to be cultivated in a shallow dish. In a shaded bed, plant early flowering bulbs, hellebores, hostas, and epimediums at its base. Despite its delicate appearance, this small tree is quite robust; it only requires light, well-drained soil that is not too poor, ideally acidic to neutral, and a few waterings during dry spells.

Tip: Treat with Bordeaux mixture preventively to avoid attacks from Verticillium.