The Japanese Japanese maple - which also includes red Japanese maple - delights garden owners and balcony gardeners alike. Its graceful growth habit and intense foliage color make the exotic shrub appear ideal for cultivation in the garden or container.
What varieties of Japanese maple are there?
Some of the most beautiful varieties of Japanese Japanese maple include Arakawa, Osakazuki, Katsura, Beni komachi, Bloodgood, Orangeola, Kotohime, Butterfly, Shishigashira, Green Globe, Ki hachijo, Okushimo, Oridono nishiki, Red Star and Kagiri nishiki. These varieties vary in growth habit, height, leaf color and autumn color.
Fan maple delights with colorful foliage
The most beautiful attribute of the Japanese maple is of course the foliage, which can be very differently colored. Some varieties have a green summer color and then shine bright red, orange or yellow in autumn. Others even have colorful foliage or show reddish leaves as soon as they shoot. Others, like red Japanese maple, display red foliage throughout the entire growing season.
The most beautiful varieties of Japanese Japanese maple
In total there are around 150 different species and more than 500 varieties of Japanese maple, we will introduce you to some of the most beautiful in the table below.
| Variety | Growth habit | Growth height | Growth width | Leaf Color | Autumn Coloring | Special features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arakawa | tree-like large shrub | up to 400 cm | up to 300 cm | rich green | bright red | barky bark |
| Osakazuki | upright shrub | up to 300 cm | up to 250 cm | dark green | bright red | big leaves |
| Katsura | upright shrub | up to 120 cm | up to 180 cm | light green | bright orange | stay small |
| Beni komachi | upright shrub | up to 250 cm | up to 200 cm | salmon red in shoots, red in summer | purple to salmon red | very good for pots |
| Bloodgood | Large shrub | up to 500 cm | up to 600 cm | bright red, brownish red in summer | bright red | intense coloring |
| Orangeola | sprawling shrub | up to 200 cm | up to 300 cm | Orange-red when budding, brown-red in summer | orange red | drooping branches |
| Kotohime | columnar | up to 200 cm | up to 40 cm | bright pink-orange-red when shooting, green in summer | bright yellow | ideal for pots |
| Butterfly | shrub-like, finely branched | up to 160 cm | up to 160 cm | two-tone white-green | magenta red | very fine-shooting variety |
| Shishigashira | upright bushy | up to 200 cm | up to 100 cm | rich green | bright yellow to orange-red | strongly curled leaves |
| Green Globe | overhanging | up to 200 cm | up to 200 cm | light green | red | very deeply slotted leaves |
| Ki hachijo | tree-like large shrub | up to 280 cm | up to 350 cm | freshgreen | golden yellow | striped bark |
| Okushimo | slim upright | up to 250 cm | up to 250 cm | dark green | yellow-orange | rolled leaves |
| Oridono nishiki | slim upright | up to 300 cm | up to 170 cm | irregular pinkish pink to creamy white | colorful | multicolored foliage |
| Red Star | tightly upright | up to 250 cm | up to 200 cm | deep dark red | red | ideal as a solitaire |
| Kagiri nishiki | slim upright | up to 180 cm | up to 250 cm | two-tone white-dark green | red | differently shaped leaves |
Tip
Unfortunately, the intense leaf coloring is not the same in every location. Each variety has its own preferences.