Lion Head Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'

Lion Head Japanese Maple is a small deciduous tree with an upright habit and tufts of crinkled green palmate foliage that turns gold and crimson in fall.  Small, non-showy but attractive umbels of red flowers bloom in spring followed by samaras. Grows best in rich, moist, slightly acidic well-drained soils.  Prefers full sun in cooler climates, but needs afternoon shade in southern areas. 

MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Low maintenance.  Water regularly.  Mulch in southern climates to keep roots cool.  Keep pruning to a minimum and prune in fall or winter.  Potential issues include stem canker, leaf spots, fusarium, wilt, botrytis, anthracnose, and root rots.  Potential insect pests include aphids, scale, borers, root weevils, and mites.  Chlorosis may occur in high pH soils

LANDSCAPE USES: Group Plantings or Specimen Tree, Naturalized Areas, Woodland Gardens, Privacy Screen, and Street Tree.

COMPANION PLANTS: Azalea, Black Mondo Grass, Rhododendron

IMAGES: Photo by David J. Stang,  Acer palmatum Shishigashira 3zz,  CC BY-SA 4.0, (2) Photo by David J. Stang,  Acer palmatum Shishigashira 5zz,  CC BY-SA 4.0 , (3) Photo by David J. Stang,  Acer palmatum Shishigashira 7zz,  CC BY-SA 4.0, (4) Photo by David J. Stang,  Acer palmatum Shishigashira 11zz,  CC BY-SA 4.0, (5) Photo by David J. Stang,  Acer palmatum Shishigashira 1zz,  CC BY-SA 4.0

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.