General Culture:

Easily grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best performance is in sun-dappled part shade, but best fall color is usually in full sun. Best to avoid hot and dry sites. Plant in a location protected from strong winds.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Japanese maple is a multi-stemmed shrub or single-stemmed small tree that typically grows to 10-25’ tall. General plant form is rounded to broad-rounded, often with low-branching. ‘Shishigashira’ is an upright, compact, slow-growing form that typically grows to 7-15’ tall over a number of years. Palmate, 5- to 7-lobed, crinkled, bright green leaves (to 2” long) grow in tufts along the stems. Foliage on young trees may appear sparse. Foliage turns showy shades of gold and crimson in fall. Small reddish-purple flowers in spring are somewhat attractive on close inspection, but are not showy from a distance. Flowers are followed by samaras that ripen in late summer to fall. ‘Shishigashira’ is synonymous with ‘Ribesifolium’ (referring to the resemblance of the leaves to those of Ribes alpinum). ‘Shishigashira’ means lion’s head, and this cultivar is sometimes commonly called lion’s head maple.