With its curly leaves, highly layered look and brilliant scarlet fall foliage, this popular garden tree is called Lion’s Head Japanese maple.

This deciduous tree grows slowly to a mature height of 10’-15’ The leaves are small, deeply cut & curled, forming dense tufts along twisted branches. The foliage is bright green or yellow-green in spring & summer, turning orange & rust-red very late in autumn or early winter. In a good year when the weather hits it the right way, the autumn golds and reds of the leaves are extremely vibrant. This lends to the name Lion’s Head’ as if describing a fierce lion’s fiery mane. This cultivar grows in the shape of broad-rounded tree.

Small reddish-purple flowers appear in April and can be considered attractive when viewed up close. Flowers are followed by samaras that ripen in late summer to fall.

The bark ages a very pretty shade of yellow, being the brightest in the winter months.