Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki'Japanese maple

‘Osakazuki’ grows at first as a vigorous shrub and, with age, takes on the character of a small tree, often trained with several stems. The crown becomes rounded, open and roughly as wide as it is tall. It can reach 4 to 6 metres in normal conditions, exceeding these dimensions in old, well-established specimens.

The leaves are relatively large and have seven broad, elongated, finely serrated lobes. This morphology has made ‘Osakazuki’ the reference cultivar of the Amoenum Group in the Maple Society classification. In spring, the foliage opens in olive-green or bronze tones, later taking on a deep green that gives the crown visual density.

The autumn transformation is its main feature. The foliage changes almost simultaneously to intense shades of orange and scarlet red, producing a particularly uniform colour across the whole crown. During the summer, the young growth may emerge orange-tinted, while the small red samaras add a detail of colour among the green leaves.

It prefers a sheltered position, with gentle sun or partial shade, and a soil rich in organic matter, moist and well drained. In Portugal, protection from the most intense afternoon sun and the conservation of soil moisture favour intact leaves and longer-lasting autumn colour.

It is especially suited as a specimen tree in gardens, large courtyards, lawn edges and Japanese-inspired compositions. A mature specimen from Diaplant immediately brings a rounded crown with scale, visible branching and enough leaf volume for the scarlet transformation of autumn to become a real event in the project.