Acer palmatum, commonly called Japanese maple, is a deciduous shrub or small tree that typically grows to 3-7,5 meter tall. It is native to Japan, Korea and China. His plant form is rounded, often with low branching. Small reddish-purple flowers in umbels bloom in mid spring (April). Var. dissectum is typically a much smaller, rounded, slow-growing shrubby form that rarely matures to more than 36 m tall. Palmate leaves, each having 7-11 deeply incised lobes. Dissectum means deeply cut in reference to the deeply cut, feathery nature of the leaves.