Appearance

Growth form

It is usually a small tree or large shrub, about 15–25 ft (5–8 m) tall at maturity.

Leaves

Leaves are about 4–6 in (10–15 cm) wide and usually have 9–11 pointed lobes. Young twigs can be sticky, while the leaf undersides have pale hairs.

Flowers

Small flowers have reddish-purple sepals and white to cream petals. In Missouri gardens, they bloom in April.

Fruit

Paired samaras are about 1.2 in (3 cm) long.

Look-alikes

Japanese mapleAcer palmatum

Japanese maple usually has 5–7 deeply cut lobes, occasionally nine. Keijo maple usually has 9–11 shorter lobes and pale hairs on young growth.

Why they get mixed up · Both are small Asian maples with hand-shaped leaves and vivid fall color.

Images coming soon

three-flowered mapleAcer triflorum

Each leaf of three-flowered maple (Acer triflorum) is divided into three separate leaflets. Keijo maple has one leaf blade divided into 9–11 lobes.

Why they get mixed up · Both are cold-hardy Asian maples with orange-red fall color.

	Leaf structure	Typical lobes
Keijo maple	one blade	9–11
Japanese maple	one blade	5–7
three-flowered maple	three leaflets	none

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• woodland gardens
• arboretums

Range

It is native to Korea, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East, not the United States. In the U.S. it is grown as an ornamental.

Preferred conditions

It does best in cool climates and moist, well-drained soil, in hardiness zones 4–8.

Life cycle

Seed dispersal

The papery wings help the seeds spin away on the wind.

Growing it

Care

It is valued as a cold-hardy alternative to Japanese maple in northern U.S. gardens.

Name and classification

About the name

It is also called purplebloom maple.

Varieties and forms

U.S. breeders have crossed this species with Japanese maple. Northern Glow® is one named hybrid selected for cold hardiness and traits between the two parents.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction