Acer palmatum ‘Ukigumo’

Acer palmatum ‘Ukigumo’: Horizontally branched.

The beloved Floating Cloud Maple is a strong and graceful dwarf tree displaying all the beautiful color changes for which variegated-leaved Japanese Maples are celebrated. It tolerates reasonable levels of sunlight without danger of leaf burn, demonstrates a fine horizontally branched habit, and displays three seasons of changing foliage every year. In spring these 5-lobed, evenly divided and delicately serrated leaves emerge nearly white, with pink flushes and blushes. By summer they are green with white markings, and in autumn they turn bold shades from peach to deep red. The colors become more subtle and pastel-hued with age, and the variegation actually increases, making the slow growth of this semi-dense plant a joy. At maturity, ‘Ukigumo’ has an upright habit 6 feet tall and wide, with short, multi-branched twigs. Ideal for bonsai culture or as a specimen in full sun to part shade. Zones 5-8.