Sapindaceae

Japanese maple

Acer palmatum Thunb.

Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Acer

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Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) — FlowerPhoto: Jagdish Singh Negi, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (36)

Arabic: قيقب كفي
Armenian: Թխկի հովհարանման
arz: قيقب كفى
Assamese: এচাৰ পালমেটাম
Azerbaijani: Palmayarpaq ağcaqayın
Basque: Japoniar astigar
Bulgarian: Японски клен
Catalan: Auró japonès
Chinese: 掌葉槭, 鸡爪槭, 鸡爪枫, 日本枫, 日本槭, 日本红枫, 鷄爪槭, 羽毛槭
Croatian: Japanski javor
Czech: Javor dlanitolistý
Danish: Japansk Løn
Dutch: Japanse esdoorn
English: Japanese maple
Finnish: Japaninvaahtera
French: Érable palmé
Galician: Pradairo xaponés
German: Fächer-Ahorn
Hungarian: Ujjas juhar, Legyezőlevelű juhar
Icelandic: Japanshlynur
Italian: Momiji
Japanese: イロハモミジ, イロハカエデ, タカオカエデ, 伊呂波楓, 伊呂波紅葉, 高雄楓
Korean: 단풍나무
lah: جپانی میپل
Latvian: Patīkamā kļava
Macedonian: Јапонски јавор
Norwegian Bokmål: Viftelønn
Norwegian Nynorsk: Viftelønn
Persian: Acer
Polish: Klon palmowy
Russian: Клён дланевидный, Клён дланевидный, подвид amoenum
Serbian: Јапански јавор
Slovak: Javor dlaňolistý
Slovenian: Pahljačasti javor
Turkish: Japon akçaağacı
Vietnamese: Phong Nhật Bản

Synonyms

Acer decompositum Dippel
Acer formosum Carrière
Acer friederici-guillelmii Carr
Acer incisum Dippel
Acer jucundum Carrière
Acer ornatum Carrière
Acer palmatum f. albomarginatum G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. albovariegatum Pax
Acer palmatum f. argenteomarginatum Pax
Acer palmatum f. atrolineare Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. atropurpureum (Van Houtte) G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. aureum G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. bicolor G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. brevilobum Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. caudatum Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. crispum (André) G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. cuneatum Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. elegans G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. elegans-purpureum G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. flavescens G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. friederici-guillelmii (Carr) Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. hessei Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. laciniatum Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. latifolium-atropurpureum G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. latilobum (Koidz.) Ohwi
Acer palmatum f. lineare Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. linearilobum (Miq.) G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. linearilobum-atropurpureum G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. lobatum G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. luteoflorum A.E.Murray
Acer palmatum f. minor G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. nicholsonii Schwer.
Acer palmatum f. ornatum (Carrière) G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. polychromum Pax
Acer palmatum f. reticulatum (André) G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. rhodoneurum Pax
Acer palmatum f. rhodophyllum Pax
Acer palmatum f. roseomarginatum (Van Houtte) G.Nicholson
Acer palmatum f. rubellum Pax
Acer palmatum f. rubrolatifolium Schwer.

and 34 more.

Flowers

In flower: April (from 67 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Jagdish Singh Negi, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: W Rao, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: WATANABE Hitoshi 渡辺仁, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
LeavesPhoto: Offkey, CC0, from iNaturalist
LeavesPhoto: Katja Schulz, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Marco Mussita, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: TheStigia, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Yushin Hozumi, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Acer

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.