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This delightful form is quite striking in its spring growth. As the leaves develop, they are a pale yellow-orange. The margins shade into a brighter orange. As the season progresses, the leaves turn into a light to yellowish green for the summer. Autumn colours are bright yellow and orange.
The small leaves are moderately deeply divided into five ovate-lanceolate lobes that taper to a long point. The sides of the lobes are shallowly toothed. The centre lobe is always longer, and the leaves tend to turn downward, giving the plant a distinctive appearance. The leaf stalks are quite short.
'Katsura' seems to be a smaller-growing tree in North America, with the leaf nodes and twigs quite close together so that the foliage is dense. The upright growth quickly broadens with side branching. In Europe, this cultivar seems to grow taller, reaching more than 8m (26ft) in height. It adapts well to bonsai culture. The name means "wig". The plant has also been known as "Katsura yatsubusa". Received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Source: "Japanese Maples - the complete guide to selection and cultivation" by J. D. Vertrees & Peter Gregory, page 163
See Glossary of Terms for meaning on words used in this information page.
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