Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Acer nikoense

Description:

This lovely ornamental tree is typically small, rounded, and slow growing, with good orange and red fall color; dull green trifoliate leaves are oval to oblong, with gray green undersides; full sun to part shade; rare in cultivation

Ornamental Features

Nikko Maple has rich green foliage with grayish green undersides on a tree with a round habit of growth. The serrated compound leaves turn outstanding shades of orange and in the fall. The smooth dark gray bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Nikko Maple is a multi-stemmed deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. 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.

Nikko Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Nikko Maple will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 6 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.