A Gardener's Notebook

Interesting Plant: Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ (Coral Bark Japanese Maple)

I grew up in Ohio surrounded by maple trees of all sorts, from the large over-arching hard maples on the Main Streets to sugar maples dotted across the farms and in sugar bushes harvested for maple syrup. These maples don’t grow well here in sunny southern California, but I was equally charmed by the Japanese Maples that do grow here. There is so much beauty and variety among the Acer palmatum and something for nearly everyone to enjoy. This Coral Bark Maple is just one example of this wide-ranging species.

From Washington State University…

“The Japanese maple cultivar ‘Sango Kaku’, often referred to as Coral bark maple, is generally one of the most prized of all of the upright palmate types for its winter interest. The bark on new twigs turns bright coral red (almost fluorescent) after the leaves fall. In areas west of the Cascade Mountains, this cultivar is one of the most widely grown of all of the upright, green-foliage Japanese maples. In Japan the name ‘Sango Kaku’ refers to “coral-painted”. ”

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 different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their attractive leaf shapes and colours.

Acer palmatum is a deciduous shrub or small tree reaching heights of 6 to 10 m (20 to 33 ft), rarely 16 metres (52 ft), often growing as an understory plant in shady woodlands. It may have multiple trunks joining close to the ground. In habit, it is often shaped like a hemisphere (especially when younger) or takes on a dome-like form, especially when mature.^[3] Theleaves are 4–12 cm long and wide, palmately lobed with five, seven, or nine acutely pointed lobes. The flowers are produced in small cymes, the individual flowers with five red or purple sepals and five whitish petals. The fruit is a pair of winged samaras, each samara 2–3 cm long with a 6–8 mm seed. The seeds of Japanese maple and similar species requirestratification in order to germinate.^[3][4]“ – Wikipedia.org 

More information on Stenocarpus sinuatus:

• Acer palmatum at Wikipedia
• Coral Bark Maple at Houzz.com
• Coral Bark Maple discussion at Dave’s Garden

Previously in the Interesting Plant series: 

• Linderniaceae (formerly Torenia) Kuaui Deep Blue
• Passiflora (Passion flower)
• Firewheel Tree (Stenocarpus sinuatus)
• Anemone
• Allium Cowanii
• Symphyotrichum oblongifolius (Purple Aster)
• Hemerocallis ‘Derrick Cane’ (Daylily)
• Agastache ‘Aztec Rose’
• Rudbeckia hirta Moreno
• Kalanchoe Tomentosa
• Albuca namaquensis
• Hosta ‘Remember Me’
• Dahlia ‘Clair de Lune’
• Lovely silver-tinged fern on campus of Oberlin College, Ohio
• Tricolor Beech (Fagus sylvatica Purpurea Tricolor)
• Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris)
• Eremurus ‘Lemon Meringue’
• Lupine “Sunrise” (Lupinus hartwegii)
• Chinese Fringe Flower (Loropetalum chinense)
• Streptocarpus ‘Harlequin Blue’
• Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist, ragged lady)
• Epiphyllum (Orchid Cactus)
• Sempervivum ‘Westerlin’
• Gladiolus ‘Kings Lynn’
• Hosta sieboldiana ‘Dorothy Benedict’
• Begonia “Escargot”
• Asparagus Pea (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)
• Rosa banksiae (Lady Banks’ Rose)
• Primula ‘Victoriana Silver Laced Black’
• Oxalis versicolor
• Poached Egg Plant (Limnanthes douglasii)
• Parisian Carrots
• Fritillaria imperialis Rubra Maxima
• Clematis “Fascination”
• Swiss Chard “Bright Lights”
• Georgia Rattlesnake Melon
• Dianthus Barbathus “Green Ball” or “Green Trick”
• Coleus “Religious Radish”
• Black Forest Calla Lily
• Black Bamboo

Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas