- Shop Now
- Burncoose Specialities
- This Month
- Offers & Promotions
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024
- 40 years at Burncoose
- Engage With Us
- Information, Help & Advice
- About Us & Our Services
- Terms & Conditions
- Log In / Register
ACER
Commonly known as Vine maple
SPECIMEN SIZED VARIETIES OF ACER PALMATUM ARE IN 7.5 OR 10 LITRE POTS AND ARE ALL APPROXIMATELY 4-6 FEET IN HEIGHT.
SPECIMEN SIZED VARIETIES OF ACER PALMATUM DISSECTUM ARE SMALLER GROWING AND THEREFORE CONSIDERABLY SMALLER IN SIZE ALTHOUGH OF A SIMILAR AGE.
Genus of 120 species of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, from woodlands mainly, in Europe, northern Africa, Asia and North and Central America.
Some form large trees and others are understorey plants. The most popular decorative forms are from the palmatum group, Japanese maples which have been cultivated in Japan for centuries and is a well-known temple tree and bonsai subject . They have appeared in art forms for centuries.
Palmatum (hand-like) was the name given by Swedish doctor-botanist Carl Peter Thunberg late in the 18th century, following the ancient Japanese where they were likened to hands of frogs or hands of babies.
The UK representative is the field maple, A. campestre, a medium-sized tree favouring chalk soils but widely planted. It is a wildlife plant attractive to aphids which are preyed on by ladybirds, hoverflies and birds. Caterpillars eat the leaves and the nectar and pollen in the flowers attract insects as well.
The wood has the highest density of all the European maples and is used for veneers and harps.
-
DeciduousVine-like, rounded, deeply 7- to 9-lobed light-green leaves to 13cm (5in) long.
-
Height5-8m (16-26ft)
-
Spread6m (20ft)
-
TreeSpreading, bushy, sometimes shrubby tree. Produces pendent umbels of flowers
-
Hardy - cold winterHardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters. May not withstand open/exposed sites or central/northern locations. Plant can withstand temperatures down to -15°C (5°F)
-
Full sun
-
Partial shade
-
Additional FeaturesGood to knowMature trees send out arching branches which root when they touch the ground forming thickets over time.Pests & DiseasesAphids, mites, scale insects, caterpillars, Verticillium wilt, leaf scorch, honey fungus.Place of originWestern North America
-
HardinessFully hardy
-
Leaf Colour (if not green)PurpleSmall purple and white flowers
-
Leaf marginLobed
(see photos above) -
Leaf shapeOrbicular
(see photos above) -
Pruning groupPruning group 1Suitable for: Deciduous and evergreen trees, and some deciduous shrubs.
Pruning: Minimal pruning required. Prune wayward or crossing branches to maintain a healthy framework.
When: When dormant in the late winter/early spring. Some in the summer/autumn to prevent bleeding of sap.
-
Seasonal InterestAutumn
-
Soil ConditionsFertile moist well-drained soil
-
Tree ShapeRounded to broadly spreading
- Garden Cultivation
- Pests & Diseases
- Propagation
- Further Reading
- Scorching & Dieback - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Allergic reactions and pollen
- Plants which produce masses of pollen - to avoid
- Plants producing little pollen - relatively safe!
- How to plant/move a shrub
- How to plant/move a shrub - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Fertisiling shrubs - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Mulching - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Pruning a shrub - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Summer propagation - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Taking semi-ripe cuttings -Video Tip ondemand_video
- Self-sown seedlings - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Trimming a shrub - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Weed spraying - Video Tip ondemand_video
- When is the right time to collect seeds?
- When are seeds actually ripe and ready for collection?
- Magnolia seed collection - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Cornus capitata seed collection - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Lithocarpus Seed Collection - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Camellia seed collection - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Rhododendron seed collecting - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Storing seeds over winter
- Embothrium Collecting and Storing Seeds
- Decaisnea Seed Collection & Potting
- How to plant a tree - Video Tip ondemand_video
- How to plant a tree
- Ties - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Restaking fallen young trees - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Fallen old tree - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Clearing up fallen beech tree - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Spring pruning - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Removing side shoots - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Pruning and Shaping Magnolia - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Deer protection - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Weed Spraying - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Removing Ivy - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Removing wire protection - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Tree Survey - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Crown uplift - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Removing shoots below graft - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Removing peeling bark - Video Tip ondemand_video
- Maintaining variegation - Video Tip ondemand_video
5-8m (16-26ft)
|
![]() |
![]() |
6m (20ft) |
Buy Varieties of ACER
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER campestre](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_campestre_45.jpg)
ACER campestre
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER campestre 'Red Shine'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_campestre_red_shine~2.jpg)
ACER campestre 'Red Shine'
new leaves emerge red in spring, maturing to green in summer. Good yellow autumn colour. Upright, pyramidal habit
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER capillipes](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_capillipes_47s.jpg)
ACER capillipes
young growth coral-red, attractive autumn tinting, striated bark
![Royal Horticultural Society 'Award of Garden Merit' (AGM) AWARD](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/misc/agm_large.png)
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER cappadocicum 'Aureum'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_cappadocicum_aureum_49.jpg)
ACER cappadocicum 'Aureum'
yellow young leaves turning green then yellow again in autumn
![Royal Horticultural Society 'Award of Garden Merit' (AGM) AWARD](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/misc/agm_large.png)
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER cappadocicum 'Rubrum'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_cappadocicum_rubrum_50x.jpg)
ACER cappadocicum 'Rubrum'
young new shoots are a highly attractive deep red which gradually fades
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER x conspicuum 'Phoenix'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_x_conspicuum_phoenix_149.jpg)
ACER x conspicuum 'Phoenix'
white striping on the bark and bright red new shoots which hold their colour into winter
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER x conspicuum 'Silver Cardinal'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_silver_cardinal.jpg)
ACER x conspicuum 'Silver Cardinal'
white striped bark and red young shoots. The green leaves are blotched and streaked with white and pink when young
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER davidii](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_davidii_54.jpg)
ACER davidii
Small tree with striated green and white bark. Excellent autumn colouring
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER davidii 'Serpentine'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/Acer_davidii_Serpentine.jpg)
ACER davidii 'Serpentine'
the most striking striated bark of all the davidii cultivars. Suitable for smaller gardens. Young shoots dark red with conspicuous white veins.
![Royal Horticultural Society 'Award of Garden Merit' (AGM) AWARD](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/misc/agm_large.png)
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER x freemanii 'Autumn Blaze'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_fremanii_autumn_blaze_151~1ab.jpg)
ACER x freemanii 'Autumn Blaze'
a hybrid between A. rubrum and A. saccharinum with deeply cut leaves turning orange-red in autumn
![Royal Horticultural Society 'Award of Garden Merit' (AGM) AWARD](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/misc/agm_large.png)
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER griseum](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_griseum_62.jpg)
ACER griseum
bark peels and flakes when mature to reveal light brown underbark. Good autumn colour
![Royal Horticultural Society 'Award of Garden Merit' (AGM) AWARD](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/misc/agm_large.png)
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER japonicum 'Aconitifolium'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_acontifolium_6005.jpg)
ACER japonicum 'Aconitifolium'
('Filicifolium'.) Deeply cut green leaves turning crimson in autumn. Small red flowers in spring before the leaves emerge
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER macrophyllum](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_macrophyllum_6538.jpg)
ACER macrophyllum
large dark green deeply lobed leaves which turn a bright orange in autumn. Fragrant yellow flowers in clusters followed by bristly fruit
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER negundo 'Kellys Gold'](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_negundo_kellys_gold.jpg)
ACER negundo 'Kellys Gold'
small deciduous tree with choice soft golden foliage
![© Burncoose Nurseries, all pictures for illustrative purposes only. ACER palmatum](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/acer_ palmatum_74.jpg)
ACER palmatum
green Japanese maple. Japanese maples will not generally tolerate exposed windy sites and prefer sheltered protection
Useful extras...
![](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/Vitax_Q4_6202.jpg)
![](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/grow_your_own_front_22.jpg)
![](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/tomatoe_front.jpg)
![](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/rootgrow_6203.jpg)
![](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/RootgrowEricoid_6204.jpg)
![](https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/img/products/squaremedium/empathy-allpurpose_6208.jpg)