Master Gardener Decision Support Guide

Woody Ornamentals

Japanese Maple

Background information on Maple identification.

Japanese maples have finely divided leaves and a mature height of less than 20 feet. Although numerous species fit that description, the most common in North Carolina landscapes is the Japanese maple.

Japanese maples often have red leaves. The other species with red leafed cultivars occasionally found in our landscapes is Norway maple. Norway maple can easily be identified by its milky sap. Japanese maples don't have milky sap. A short maple cultivar with finely divided red leaves and no milky sap is likely to be a Japanese maple. Both Japanese maples and Norway maples have normal colored cultivars.

While Silver maples and Norway maples are both included in the tree maples they do have unique problems.

Silver maples have a long middle lobe and a whitish color underneath. Silver maples are the only host for Wooly Alder Aphids. Silver maples are also short lived.

Norway maples are more prone to sunscald on the trunk in our climate. In most sites, they are also shortlived.

Return to: Maple, Japanese , Woody Ornamentals , Master Gardener Decision Support Guide

Designed by David Goforth on December 26, 1997.
Contents modified on April 14, 1998.
Contents checked on April 14, 1998.