Introduction
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Sapindales Family: Sapindaceae Genus: Acer (maples) Species: A. palmatum |
A. palmatum (acer: sharp, palmatum: as in the palm of a hand) is a species of small (6-10m) maple tree indigenous to Japan and eastern Asia[29]. They are selectively grown (cultivars) for a number of attributes, due to the vast variety of shape, color, size, and leaf style they can display[28].
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Morphology
Mature trees are generally dome shaped[30], branching near the ground or even having multiple trunks. Its leaves are palmate (veins branching from a common point at the base of the leaf) with five, seven, or nine lobes[29][30]. They are normally red or green, but color varies by season, with most turning red, pink, or orange in Spring. The reddish color is due to more sugar being stored in the leaves (added to "anthocyanins"). As daylight hours increase in the Spring more sugar is synthesized, but it's still cool enough that metabolism isn't quickly depleting the sugars from the leaves, so they remain red. They can turn lime or bronze in the Summer, and gold to even blue in fall[28].
References
[28]http://www.pondandgardennursery.com/japanesemaples.php
[29]http://eol.org/pages/596824/details
[30]http://www.cobbstrees.net/japanese-maples/
[29]http://eol.org/pages/596824/details
[30]http://www.cobbstrees.net/japanese-maples/