Acer palmatum 'Butterfly' - Butterfly Japanese Maple

Stunning small deeply-toothed leaves are green with bold silver edges and hints of rose during summer; elegant vase shape habit; Japanese maples are the most coveted of all small landscape trees, having almost the perfect shape, habit, and fall color

Height: 12 feet. Spread: 12 feet. Sun: full sun to partial shade. Hardiness zone: 5b.

Ornamental features

Butterfly Variegated Japanese Maple is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its ornamental upright and spreading habit of growth. It has attractive creamy white-variegated grayish green foliage with hints of rose. The serrated lobed palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of orange, scarlet and violet in the fall.

Landscape

Butterfly Variegated Japanese Maple is a dense deciduous tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Recommended for: Accent, Mass Planting, Hedges/Screening, General Garden Use, Container Planting.

Planting and growing

Butterfly Variegated Japanese Maple will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder.