Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Harp String, Koto-No-Ito

Group/Class:  Linearilobum

Description:

Delicate green threadlike foliage has tinges of crimson in spring, turning curious tones of orange, peach and red in fall, leaves are almost bamboo-like but vary significantly on the same plant; wonderful in containers or bonsai, a great garden accent

Ornamental Features

Koto No Ito Japanese Maple is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its ornamental upright and spreading habit of growth. It has attractive green deciduous foliage which emerges crimson in spring. The small deeply cut ferny palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of orange, peach and red in the fall. The smooth light green bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Koto No Ito Japanese Maple is a deciduous tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

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.

Koto No Ito Japanese Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Koto No Ito Japanese Maple will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Koto No Ito Japanese Maple is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.