Plant Finder

Other Names:  Red Strap-Leaf Japanese Maple

Group/Class:  Linearilobum

Description:

This compact Japanese Maple has narrow, sword-like leaves that emerge red and stay bronzy-red in summer; bushy upright habit; Japanese maples are the most coveted of all small landscape trees, it has almost the perfect shape, habit, and fall color

Ornamental Features

Ribbon-leaf Japanese Maple is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its ornamental upright and spreading habit of growth. It has attractive dark green foliage with coppery-bronze undersides which emerges dark red in spring. The small deeply cut ferny palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of dark red and burgundy in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Ribbon-leaf Japanese Maple is a dense deciduous tree with a strong central leader and an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ribbon-leaf Japanese Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Ribbon-leaf Japanese Maple will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Ribbon-leaf Japanese Maple is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.