Which Japanese maples have red leaves?

Japanese maples are perfect for small gardens. They are beautifully shaped small trees that grow slowly and often don’t get too large. One of the most beautiful features of the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is its striking fall foliage. The leaves often turn a gorgeous orange or red. But there are also varieties that have red leaves throughout the entire growing season. Trees with red leaves add a stunning color contrast to your garden! That’s why we’ve put together an overview of red Japanese maples for your garden.

10 Popular Japanese Red Maples

Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’

Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ is the best-known and most popular red Japanese maple. Its leaves are dark red to purple and turn an even darker wine red in the summer. In the fall, the leaves turn a deep red. The color and leaf shape may vary slightly, as some plants within the ‘Atropurpureum’ variety have been propagated by seed. It is a broad, upright shrub that can grow into a small tree about 4 meters tall.

Acer palmatum ‘Black Lace’

Acer palmatum ‘Black Lace’ is a Japanese maple known for its unique leaf color and delicate texture. Its deeply lobed leaves have a lace-like appearance. It is a slow-growing, compact shrub with an upright habit. It reaches a height of about 2–3 meters. The leaf color ranges from dark red to purplish red. In the fall, the leaves of this tree turn a deep reddish-purple.

Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’

This popular Japanese maple has dark red foliage that turns a deep purplish-red in the summer. The leaves are deeply lobed. In the fall, the leaves turn red before falling off. It is a slow-growing shrub that can reach a height of about 4–6 meters.

Acer palmatum ‘Crimson Queen’

This Japanese maple has deeply lobed, delicate leaves with a striking reddish-purple color. It is a slow-growing shrub with somewhat erratic growth. It develops a beautiful mushroom-like shape. It grows to about 1.5–2 meters tall. Similar to Garnet, but remains smaller.

Acer palmatum ‘Enkan’

This cultivar has dark red foliage that turns a deep purplish-red in the summer. The leaves are deeply lobed and have a delicate texture. It is a compact shrub that can grow to a height of about 1.5–2 meters.

Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’

Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’ is a Japanese maple with striking red foliage, which darkens slightly in the summer. The leaves are deeply lobed. In the spring, the leaves are reddish-green in color, then change to a striking, glossy, reddish-purple color in the summer. In the fall, the foliage turns reddish-orange. This Japanese maple grows to a height of about 3–4 meters and has a spreading, rounded shape.

Acer palmatum ‘Garnet’

Acer palmatum ‘Garnet’ is a popular cultivar of the Japanese maple known for its striking red leaves. The leaves are deeply lobed and have a fine texture. In the spring, the leaves are reddish-brown in color, then turn a deep reddish-purple in the summer. In the fall, the leaves turn bright red before eventually falling off. This slow-growing shrub can reach a height of about 3–4 meters and has a spreading, rounded shape.

Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’

Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’: This Japanese maple has striking red foliage that turns a deep purplish-red in the fall. It is a compact shrub that can grow to about 1–1.5 meters tall. The leaves are deeply lobed and have a delicate texture. It is a popular cultivar often used as an accent plant in gardens and landscapes.

Acer palmatum ‘Skeeter’s Broom’

Acer palmatum 'Skeeter’s Broom' is a Japanese maple with red foliage that grows slowly, compactly, and upright. The leaves are deeply lobed and dark red to reddish-purple. It resembles 'Bloodgood,' but remains more compact. When the leaves first emerge, they are bright red.

Acer palmatum ‘Trompenburg’

This Japanese maple has deeply lobed leaves with a striking dark purple color. It is a slow-growing shrub that can reach a height of about 3–4 meters. The leaves have a delicate texture and make a striking addition to any garden. This cultivar is named after the Trompenburg Arboretum & Botanical Garden in Rotterdam, where it was first introduced.

Leaves in various shades of red

Dissectum, dark red leaf

Wine-red to purplish-red leaves

Deeply lobed reddish-brown leaf

Hand-shaped, bright red leaf

Lobed, wine-red leaves

Japanese maples with red to bright red foliage

Most red-leaved Japanese maples have dark red to brownish-red foliage, or wine-red to Easter-red foliage. However, there are a few varieties that also have red to bright red foliage for much of the growing season. Examples include Acer palmatum ‘Shaina,’ ‘Fireglow,’ and ‘Bloodgood.’ As the season progresses, however, the foliage does turn a darker shade.

Japanese maples with dark red to brownish-red foliage

There are many Japanese maples with dark red to brown-red or reddish-brown foliage. These maples provide a beautiful color contrast in the garden against all the green. Most varieties also have beautiful fall colors.

Japanese maples with wine-red to purplish-red foliage

Japanese maples with wine-red foliage are becoming increasingly popular. Many of these Acer species even have purple-red to nearly black foliage. When the leaves first emerge, the color is often even softer, and in the fall, many cultivars turn bright red to orange-red.

A larger, fast-growing Acer palmatum cultivar in the garden

Complete list of red Japanese maples (Acer palmatum)

(in alphabetical order)

1. Acer palmatum ‘Adriaan’s Compact’
2. Acer palmatum ‘Aka-Shidare’
3. Acer palmatum ‘Aratama’
4. Acer palmatum ‘Ariadne’
5. Acer palmatum ‘Atrolineare’
6. Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
7. Acer palmatum ‘Attraction’
8. Acer palmatum ‘Barrie Bergman’
9. Acer palmatum ‘Beni-Hoshi’
10. Acer palmatum ‘Beni-Kumo-No-Su’
11. Acer palmatum ‘Beni-Othake’
12. Acer palmatum ‘Beni-Ubi-Gohon’
13. Acer palmatum ‘Black Lace’
14. Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
15. Acer palmatum ‘Brandts “Dwarf”’
16. Acer palmatum ‘Brocade’
17. Acer palmatum ‘Bujo-Ji’
18. Acer palmatum ‘Burgundy Lace’
19. Acer palmatum ‘Carlis Corner Broom’
20. Acer palmatum ‘Corallinum’
21. Acer palmatum ‘Crimson Carol’
22. Acer palmatum ‘Crimson Queen’
23. Acer palmatum ‘Crumple Leaf’
24. Acer palmatum ‘De-Shojoh’
25. Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Nigrum’
26. Acer palmatum ‘Dr. Tilt’
27. Acer palmatum ‘Englishtown’
28. Acer palmatum ‘Enkan’
29. Acer palmatum ‘Emperor I’
30. Acer palmatum ‘Fireball’
31. Acer palmatum ‘Firecracker’
32. Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’
33. Acer palmatum ‘Garnet’
34. Acer palmatum ‘Greenthumb North Carolina Red’
35. Acer palmatum ‘Hupps’s Red Willow’
36. Acer palmatum ‘Inabe-Shidare’
37. Acer palmatum ‘Keiser’
38. Acer palmatum ‘Korean Gem’
39. Acer palmatum ‘Marjan’
40. Acer palmatum ‘Mallet’
41. Acer palmatum ‘Margaret Bee’
42. Acer palmatum ‘Masu Murasaki’
43. Acer palmatum ‘Mischa’
44. Acer palmatum ‘Moonfire’
45. Acer palmatum ‘Novum’
46. Acer palmatum ‘Ornatum’
47. Acer palmatum ‘Otome-Zakura’
48. Acer palmatum ‘Peve Dave’
49. Acer palmatum ‘Peve Stanley’
50. Acer palmatum ‘Pixie’
51. Acer palmatum ‘Purpureum Angustilobum’
52. Acer palmatum ‘Red Cloud’
53. Acer palmatum ‘Red Dragon’
54. Acer palmatum ‘Red Emperor’
55. Acer palmatum ‘Red Feathers’
56. Acer palmatum ‘Red Planet’
57. Acer palmatum ‘Red Pygmy’
58. Acer palmatum ‘Rite of Spring’
59. Acer palmatum ‘Royle’
60. Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’
61. Acer palmatum shirasawanum ‘Gloria’
62. Acer palmatum shirasawanum ‘Yasemin’
63. Acer palmatum ‘Shojo-Shidare’
64. Acer palmatum ‘Skeeter’s Broom’
65. Acer palmatum ‘Stanley Park’
66. Acer palmatum ‘Stella Rossa’
67. Acer palmatum ‘Sumi-Nagashi’
68. Acer palmatum ‘Tamuke-Yama’
69. Acer palmatum ‘Trompenburg’
70. Acer palmatum ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel’