Acer Palmatum or Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum

Japanese Maples are wonderful ornamental trees, their leaf shape and color, plus their branch structure, adding so much to the landscape. These plants are so valuable to my own landscaping that I can’t say enough good things about them. 
These maples at first look somewhat delicate, but are in fact very hardy, with little susceptibility to insect pests or air pollutants. The Japanese Maple is a deciduous shrub or small tree, which can resemble an upside down pyramid when young, transforming into a more domed shape when mature. It comes in very diverse and striking varieties, the leaves varying from what is seen as a typical Maple, to a more lace-like leaf shape. The foliage can be anywhere from light green to a deep rich burgundy and individual plants can either be the low growing, weeping version or a shaded tree reaching up to twenty feet or more.

Japanese Maple in front of Basalt Fountain