Acer palmatum ‘Elegans’
Excellent Fall Color Japanese Maple

Zones 5-9

Westonbirt Arboretum typically has a fall photo contest every year. I visited the arboretum with Peter Gregory and Hugh Angus and there were crowds of people gathered around this tree because of its striking fall color. ‘Elegans’ was consistently the most shocking and best fall color of any maple as I traveled around Europe. It is underutilized here in the United States. The main photo is one of the photos of this selection taken during this trip to Europe.

‘Elegans’ leafs out in the early spring as a chartreuse green turning to a deep rich green as the leaf matures. The secondary flush in the summer is a salmon pink red on top of the rich green. The leaf is a heavily divided matsumurae with a saw-like serrations on every lobe of the leaf. Fall color is one of the most spectacular of any maple. It is bright oranges to reds in a malting fashion. ‘Elegans’ will reach about 10 ft tall by 10 ft wide in 20 years. 

Limited Quantities Available !! As we have over a thousand cultivars of Japanese maples, we often do not have many of each cultivar. We recommend that you buy Japanese maples you want immediately as we often sell out of certain selections.