Satsuki beni

Character & interest

‘Satsuki beni’ is a “green” maple that never feels ordinary: at flush, the leaves show a red-tipped effect (often concentrated at the end of the lobes) that immediately catches the eye. Then the plant settles into a solid green summer canopy, before delivering a very colourful autumn finale.

Colours

• Spring : new leaves yellow-green / chartreuse with red tips (sometimes carmine to bright red depending on conditions).

• Summer : green (often deeper), sometimes with lingering reddish tips on certain leaves.

• Autumn : very decorative colours: flame, crimson, sometimes gold and orange.

Habit & vigour

Upright habit, often with dense branching. Good vigour once established, with a steady increase in size over time.

Indicative size

Figures vary depending on references and growing conditions:

• common order of magnitude: about 2.5 m at 10 years;

• in the long term, it can become a larger small tree (some descriptions give up to about 8 m).

Exposure

Gentle sun / bright partial shade. Light enhances the intensity of spring and autumn colours. In a hot climate or in a container, protection from scorching sun and dry wind improves foliage quality.

Origin & history

The cultivar is generally presented as Japanese and often linked to the Acer amoenum f. latilobatum type. Horticultural sources indicate an introduction in Japan around 1975.