'Osakazuki' Japanese maple is cultivar in the maple family (Sapindaceae) native to southeast Korea and central and south Japan. Acer is Latin for sharp and palmatum means shaped like a hand, referring to the leaves. 'Osakazuki' has a rounded form and grows 15 to 24 feet tall. It prefers rich, moist, acidic soil, but will adapt to clay and sandy soils. The plant resists leaf scorch in the sun but will showcase the best leaf color if it is planted in partial shade. Keep it watered during dry spells to keep it looking its best. The bright green 7-lobed leaves turn a brilliant red in the fall. The spring flowers are insignificant and are followed by red samara in the fall. Use this small tree as a specimen or in a foundation planting or Asian garden. It does well as an understory tree in the dappled shade of a woodland garden and tolerates being planted with needled evergreens. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Aphids, scale, maple worms, leafrollers, and leafhoppers are occasional pests. Anthracnose, leaf scorch, and frost damage, especially from late frosts, can occur. It self-seeds easily so can spread and become weedy in the landscape. See potential insect and disease problem fact sheets to the left. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common maple diseases and insect pests. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Acer palmatum .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 24 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High; Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Palmasect
Leaf margin
Lobed; Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2-5 inches long bright green leaves with 7 deep lobes and serrated margins. Brilliant red to orange fall color.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower detail
Insignificant flowers, this tree is prized for its showy leaves.
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Samara
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
3/4 inch long reddish samaras in fall
Bark color
Green; Light Gray
Bark detail
The bark is green to gray and smooth.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Samara
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Woodland
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Cottage Garden
Design feature
Foundation Planting; Specimen; Understory Tree
Garden tags
#wind tolerant #low maintenance #interesting bark #drought tolerant #specimen #Asian garden #small tree #fall interest #cottage garden #winter interest #fall color red #fall color orange #understory tree #woodland #weedy
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Japanese Maple Scale, Lopholeucaspis japonica (Cockerell), Hemiptera: Diaspididae; Maple Pest Management Calendar; Japanese Maple Leafhopper; Common Insect Pests of Maple in North Carolina