Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum, called Japanese Maple or Smooth Japanese Maple (Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji, 紅葉) is a species of woody plant native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia.^[2] Many differentcultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their attractive leaf shapes and colours. They are highly sought after and are relatively costly trees given their size.^[3]

Cultivation and uses

This Japanese Maple shows a dome-like shape.

Japanese Maple has been cultivated in Japan for centuries and in temperate areas around the world since the 1800s.^[4] The first specimen of the tree reached England in 1820.

When Swedish doctor-botanist Carl Peter Thunberg traveled in Japan late in the eighteenth century, he secreted out drawings of a small tree that would eventually become synonymous with the high art of oriental gardens.^[6] He gave it the species name palmatum after the hand-like shape of its leaves, similar to the centuries old Japanese names kaede and momiji, references to the 'hands' of frogs^[7] and babies,^{[citation needed]} respectively.

For centuries Japanese horticulturalists have developed cultivars from maples found in Japan and nearby Korea and China. They are a popular choice for bonsai^[8] enthusiasts and have long been a subject in art.

Numerous cultivars are currently available commercially and are a popular item at garden centres and other retail stores in Europe andNorth America. Red-leafed cultivars are the most popular, followed by cascading green shrubs with deeply dissected leaves.^[4]

Preparations from the branches and leaves are used as a treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.^[