General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Prefers part shade, particularly in hot summer climates. Also prefers acidic soils that are kept consistently moist. Best performance occurs in cool summer climates. This is a dioecious species whose female plants will develop parthenocarpic fruit when a male pollinator is not nearby.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Ash-leaved maple, also commonly called ivy-leaved maple, is native to mountainous areas of Japan. It is a small, deciduous tree that typically grows to 20-30’ tall. Initial growth is upright oval, but with age this tree typically develops a wide-spreading, globose form. As the common names suggests, this maple is perhaps best noted for its compound trifoliate leaves that resemble in appearance those of some ashes and ivies. Obovate to ovate, serrate leaflets (each to 4” long) are olive to medium green. Young stems are reddish-purple. Small fragrant yellow flowers bloom in pendant racemes (to 4” long) in spring. Flowers are followed by winged samaras (to 1” long). Smooth gray bark. Variable yellow to orange to red fall color. Specific epithet refers to the similarity of the trifoliate leaves of this tree to the leaves of some vines in the genus Cissus.