An educational awards program of the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden

Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’

fernleaf full moon maple

Image © Great Plant Picks
Image © Richie Steffen/Great Plant Picks
Image © Richie Steffen/Great Plant Picks
Image © Richie Steffen/Great Plant Picks

Printer-friendly Fact Sheet

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Outstanding Qualities Fernleaf full moon maple is a bold and beautiful tree. Its most outstanding quality is undoubtedly its foliage, for its deeply dissected leaves create a rich texture in the landscape and earn it the names “fernleaf”and “leaves like an aconites.” New twigs are reddish but mature to grey. Like those of many maples, its red flowers are subtle and appear in early spring. But in autumn, the bright green leaves of this handsome tree explode into color – showing off shades of red and orange tinged with purple and yellow.
Culture Plant Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium‘ in full sun to part shade in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Water fernleaf full moon maple regularly for its first two growing seasons and during subsequent summer dry spells.
Growing Habit Fernleaf full moon maple grows 8 to 10 feet high and 6 to 8 feet wide in 10 years.
Hardiness USDA zones 6 to 8
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