General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best in part shade. Prefers moist loams.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Nikko maple is native to China and Japan. It is a small, rounded, deciduous tree that typically grows rather slowly to 30-45’ tall. It is noted for its trifoliate leaves with shallowly serrate, ovate to oblong leaflets. Leaflets are dull green above and gray-green beneath with soft-hairy undersides. The center leaflet (to 5” long) is the largest of the three leaflets. Leaves turn attractive shades of orange to red in fall. Non-showy, yellow flowers in nodding, 3-flowered cymes appear in spring. Flowers are followed by samaras (to 2” long) with wings that range from almost parallel to widely divergent. Species name honors Carl Johann Maximowicz who discovered the tree growing in Japan in the 1860s. Common name is in reference to the Japanese town of Nikko. Synonymous with and formerly known as Acer nikoense.