Purple Ghost (Acer palmatum 'Purple Ghost' )

Purple Ghost is the most sought after of the ghost series; a seedling of Kasagiyama, it has the same purple brick color with dark veining, but the tree is better shaped and holds its colors throughout the summer. None of my photos have turned out, but you can see good pics on Google Images, and I will keep trying for this page. Well, another year has gone by without my taking a good photo, but Michael Healy has lent me this one which shows sort of a midseason color. This is a very vigorous tree.

Pixie (Acer palmatum 'Pixie' )

This much sought after dwarf has purple leaves in dense clusters with small internodes. It should not get over 8′. zone 6

Peaches and Cream (Acer palmatum 'Peaches and Cream' )

It is the spring color of the leaves that has people excited about this plant; I saw it in the Oregon sun this summer and it was great; I was afraid that it would burn horribly, but it kept a lot of color; I gather it will tend to stay small: 6-8′. Zone 6

Otome zakura (Acer palmatum 'Otome zakura' )

Otome zakura is a member of the Corallinum group each of which has brilliant spring foliage, but the summer leaves are paler and more varied. The tree will grow fairly quickly to about 18′.

Oshu shidare (Acer palmatum 'Oshu shidare' )

This purple leaved tree is slightly pendulous growing up to 15′ high and wide, but slowly. Zone 5.

Osaka zuki (Acer palmatum 'Osaka zuki' )

This has been one of the most sought after Japanese Maples for over a century. It is known mostly for its shining crimson fall color, but it is generally a fine tree all year. The clean green leaves are broad and larger than most but never coarse looking. The tree develops reasonably quickly into a round-headed small tree to about 15′. zone 5

Orido nishiki (Acer palmatum 'Orido nishiki' )

The leaves are variegated with pink and white and so is the bark of the new limbs and twigs. Zone 5. The plant is excellently captured in this photo by Michael Healy.

Oregon Sunset (Acer palmatum 'Oregon Sunset' )

Oregon Sunset forms a small rounded soft-looking tree with excellent leaf color from spring (sweet red) to fall (sharp red). You can see from Michael Healy’s photo that the leaves droop down and in providing that cuddly look.

Orange Dream (Acer palmatum 'Orange Dream' )

Think ‘Katsura’ only better; or at least that is the word on the street; the largest ones I have seen are in my two gallon smart pots so I haven’t seen what they look like as large trees or even out in the sun, but I have noticed that they are sturdier and more vigorous than Katsura which are good things. The leaves also seem to have more red in them than Katsura, but I will have to see the shining halo in the afternoon sun all summer and fall to say it is as good as Katsura. This photo is from Michael Healy.

Omurayama (Acer palmatum 'Omurayama' )

Omuryama is an upright but spreading and somewhat pendulous head. It gets fairly tall for a palmatum (maybe 20′) and almost as wide; the fall color is stupendous, a sort of glowing orange red.