Acer palmatum Ryusen - Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Ryusen' is a rare and exceptional Japanese maple, both for its truly trailing habit and the magnificent changing colour of its foliage. This small grafted tree forms a beautiful cascade that turns from light yellow-green to darker green in summer, before changing to bronze, orange, and bright red in autumn. Remarkable as a standalone in a small garden and well-suited for container cultivation, this cultivar is unique, with interesting aesthetics even in winter. It is also more accommodating than most other Japanese maples, both in terms of exposure and soil.

Native to eastern China, Korea and Japan, Acer palmatum is the origin of a multitude of horticultural varieties that compete in beauty. The Japanese maple belongs, like all maples, to the Sapindaceae (Aceraceae) family. It is deciduous in winter, relatively hardy, but only tolerates limestone-free soils.

'Ryusen' grows relatively slowly and eventually takes on a weeping habit, carried by trailing branches. It reaches an average height of 3 m (9.8 ft) with a width of 2 m (6.6 ft). This small tree has a brownish to reddish bark and develops lovely palmate leaves, divided into 5 segments, starting from spring. In this variety, the foliage is light green-yellow when it first emerges, becomes a deep green in summer, and then gradually turns yellow, bronze, orange, and red in autumn before falling. The leaves are arranged in an opposite manner on the branches, measuring 5 cm to 10 cm (2 in to 3.9 in) long, divided into 5 to 7 elongated and pointed lobes, with strongly dentate edges. The inconspicuous flowering occurs in May-June. The flowers, clustered in small bouquets, sometimes produce winged fruits called samaras, measuring 3 cm (1.2 in) long.

Acer palmatum 'Ryusen' tolerates sun, heat, and clay better than most Japanese maples. Compact yet sculptural, it is perfect for small gardens, as well as for ornamenting terraces, patios, and shaded rock gardens. Its remarkable habit and colour, which make a statement in the garden, can be enhanced by plants such as Bergenia cordifolia, Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens', or creeping bugles. Azaleas, pieris, rhododendrons, wild camellias, and heathers will be its most beautiful companions. It can also be trained as a magnificent bonsai in a flat pot. Combine multiple varieties of Japanese maples to vary the colour and structure of the foliage; the effect is always dazzling at the end of the season.

Tip: Treat to prevent Verticillium attacks.